Evidence-based physiotherapy and rehabilitation resources
Editorial & review policy
Evidence-based physiotherapy and rehabilitation resources
Editorial & review policyFoundation sciences
Almost everything else you study refers back to this subject. Learn it as a map you will keep returning to, not as a list to memorise once — and learn the general chapters properly, because every region afterwards assumes them.
How this subject is arranged. General anatomy first — bone, cartilage, joint, muscle, connective tissue — because those are the tools. Then the regions, each using them. It is the order the standard texts use, and it is the order that makes the regional chapters short instead of overwhelming.
21 of 24 chapters are written. The rest are listed so you can see the whole route, and they say plainly that they are not ready yet.
Why this subject carries more weight for you than for most
A physician can order a scan. You work with hands, eyes and reasoning, on a living person, usually without imaging in the room. Your anatomy has to be good enough to build a picture of what is underneath from what you can see and feel. That is a higher standard than passing an examination.
The tools everything else uses. Read these first; every later chapter assumes them.
| Chapter | Status |
|---|---|
| How to Read the Body Position, planes, axes, the terms of movement, and the vocabulary of bone surfaces. | Published |
| Bone Living tissue that rebuilds along the lines of force. Structure, growth, blood supply, healing. | Published |
| Cartilage No vessels, no nerves, no lymphatics — and everything difficult follows from that. | Published |
| Joints How joints are classified, what makes them stable, and what stops them moving. | Published |
| Muscle From whole muscle to sarcomere, fibre types, and the motor unit. | Published |
| How Muscles Work Together Agonists and fixators, contraction types, levers, and the two insufficiencies. | Published |
| Connective Tissue, Ligaments and Fascia One recipe behind tendon, ligament and fascia — and why compartments are dangerous. | Published |
| Skin, and How the Body Forms Skin layers and repair, the germ layers, and why one nerve root has both a muscle and a skin patch. | Published |
Built for reach. One small joint attaches the whole limb to the trunk.
| Chapter | Status |
|---|---|
| Bones of the Upper Limb Clavicle to phalanges, the nerves at risk along the humerus, and ten palpable landmarks. | Published |
| The Shoulder Region Four joints, the rotator cuff, and why stability here is muscular rather than bony. | Published |
| Arm, Elbow and Forearm Compartments, the cubital fossa, pronation and supination, and the two epicondyles. | Published |
| Wrist and Hand The carpal tunnel, three nerve territories, the arches, and the four grips. | Published |
Built to carry you. Deeper sockets, stronger ligaments, and a route for weight to reach the ground.
| Chapter | Status |
|---|---|
| Bones of the Lower Limb Pelvis to phalanges, the weight-bearing chain, and eleven palpable landmarks. | Published |
| Gluteal Region, Hip and Thigh The hip as the shoulder's opposite, the abductor mechanism, and the femoral triangle. | Published |
| Knee and Leg The knee joint, menisci and cruciates, and the compartments of the leg. | Published |
| Ankle and Foot The ankle mortise, its ligaments, and the arches of the foot. | Published |
The spine, the chest wall and what they protect.
| Chapter | Status |
|---|---|
| Vertebral Column and Back The curves, the disc, the facet joints and the back muscles. | Published |
| Thoracic Wall and Diaphragm The cage, the intercostals and the mechanics of breathing. | Published |
| Heart and Mediastinum Chambers, valves, the conducting system and the coronary supply. | Published |
| Abdomen The abdominal wall, the peritoneum and the viscera. | Published |
| Pelvis and Endocrine Glands The pelvic floor, and the glands that regulate the body. | Published |
The control system, and the region that houses it.
| Chapter | Status |
|---|---|
| Skull, Face and Neck The skull, the muscles of expression and the triangles of the neck. | In preparation |
| The Nervous System How it is organised, the brain, and the spinal cord in section. | In preparation |
| Spinal and Peripheral Nerves A typical spinal nerve, dermatomes and myotomes, and the autonomic system. | In preparation |
Reviewed by the Physiotherapist India Team. · All subjects