Four imaginary planes pass through the body in the anatomical position, which help to describe movements and body positions. These are the median, sagittal, coronal, and horizontal planes.

The median plane is an imaginary vertical plane that passes through the middle of the body, dividing it into left and right halves. The sagittal plane is a vertical plane which runs parallel to the median plane, but does not necessarily pass through the body's midline. In effect, the median plane is a specific type of sagittal plane. The coronal plane is a vertical plane which is perpendicular to the median and sagittal planes, and is sometimes also referred to as the frontal plane. The horizontal plane, or transverse plane, is a plane which splits the body or body part in question into upper and lower parts. The diagram below shows each of these planes.

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