4 Chapter 1 Terms and Techniqucs
Figurę 1-2. A, Genu valgum. B, Genu varum.
neck and the piane of the femur as defined by the flexion axis of the knee and the shaft of the femur. In the normal individual, the fcmoral neck points anterior to this piane, and normal femoral anteversion is present. When the angle between the femoral neck and the piane of the knees flexion axis is less than the average amount, decreased femoral anteversion or femoral retroversion is said to be present.
A number of other terms are used to describe rota-tional alignment in different areas of the body. For exam-ple, when ideał alignment is present,an individual’spatellas point forward when the feet are pointing forward. When the kneecaps angle inward, they may be said to be in-fac-ing; when they angle outward, they may be said to be out-f^acTng. c:VrrWna'rfy,* uic *tern i: Ti i-toerng: "gener Uity * asdu when an individual stands or walks with the medial border of the foot pointing inward; if the foot points outward, the term out-toeing is commonly used. The colloquial equiv-alents of these two terms are pigeon-toed for in-toeing and slew-footed for out-toeing. In the hand and forearm, rota-tional abnormalities that mimie the natural dircction of pronation are often described as pronation deformitics; those that mimie the opposite direction, supination, are described as supination deformities. The terms pronation and supination are sometimes used analogously in the foot and toes, although the leg cannot truły supinate and pronate in the same manner possible in the forearm.
The spine, being a midline structure, has its own set of terms to describe alignment. These are defined in Chapter 8, Cervical and Thoracic Spine, and Chapter 9, Lumbar Spine. Because evaluation of alignment is such an intimate part of spine inspection, the surface anatomy and alignment sections are combined in these chapters.
Figurę 1-3. Examination in the prone position with knees flexed demonstrates external tibial torsion.