Regions of the upper limb

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Every medical professional needs to know the descriptive terms used for the regions of the whole body in order to localize and diagnose different injuries and diseases, as well as communicate them to other physicians. The same goes for the upper limb, which is divided into several regions on its anterior and posterior aspects. Many of these regions contain various neurovascular structures, which makes them important surgical landmarks. Get a visual of the upper limb regions, their borders and contents by watching the video below.

Take a quiz

Now that you’re more familiar with the regions of the upper limb, test yourself with the following quiz to solidify your knowledge. If you already feel like a pro, try out our custom quiz to get a broader quiz on the general terminology of the body. 

Browse atlas

Many of the main regions of the upper limb are also known by other names. Some of these represent their synonyms and some are their subregions or other related terms that may be used interchangeably. It’s important you know these, as you will find them in anatomy textbooks, articles, videos and quizzes.

To get a visual of the individual major regions of the upper limb, take a look at our gallery of highlighted images. Be sure to assess the location and boundaries of the upper limb regions and how they compare to each other.

Summary