Anatomy
Published: 19/04/2020
Updated: 10/12/2021
But first Kevin Jubbal's strategies to studying and memorising anatomy (I would highly recommend watching).
Where to start
I would suggest working through in this order:
- Bones, ligaments, tendons etc
- Muscles and their relative positions on the body (e.g. anterior, lateral etc)
- Muscle groups and their functions
- Nerves and the muscles they innervate
- Muscular attachments (if you have the time)
I personally found this the easiest way to progressively learn my anatomy and to help understand the links between each stage.
Flashcards
Create your own either using record cards (or flashcards) or using PowerPoint. To gain the most benefit from them put the question or diagram on one side and the answers on the other side (include a note of the mnemonic to aid memorisation too).
For example:
If you would prefer to use some pre-made flashcards I would suggest using Gray's anatomy flashcards or a Quizlet class (link below), but I prefer them for revision rather than initial learning.
Quizlet class for anatomy: https://quizlet.com/join/ch7FRBZ87
The Anatomy Coloring Book by Wynn Kapit and Lawerence M. Elson
A therapeutic way to learn your anatomy. I used my own colouring system to associate certain structures to their names in my memory. I personally found having the names of the muscles to one side of the diagrams useful, so I could cover up the answers and test my ability to remember the names correctly.
Resources
Gray's anatomy Flashcards for students
A useful resource for revising your anatomy, but personally I wouldn't start with them to memorise my anatomy.
Anatomy and Human movement: Structure and Function by Nigel Palastanga and Roger Soames
Content in this book is organised by anatomical area (e.g. upper limb, trunk etc) and has summary tables at the end of each section of the muscles associated with each movement. I found this book to be set out better than Snell's or Gray's clinical anatomy for areas such as the Back.
Snell's Clinical anatomy by Regions by Lawerence E. Wisneski
This book was recommended to me by my mother (a Medic) when she was studying anatomy during her degree. We both find this book easier to read and understand than Gray's anatomy which I find provides much more detail than anyone needs to know to succeed in a physiotherapy degree. I love the summary tables for the muscles which have the basic information you need to memorise for the attachments and innervations.
The Anatomy Coloring Book by Wynn Kapit and Lawerence M. Elson
A therapeutic way to learn your anatomy. I used my own colouring system to associate certain structures to their names in my memory. I personally found having the names of the muscles to one side of the diagrams useful, so I could cover up the answers and test my ability to remember the names correctly.
Resources
Gray's anatomy Flashcards for students
A useful resource for revising your anatomy, but personally I wouldn't start with them to memorise my anatomy.
Anatomy and Human movement: Structure and Function by Nigel Palastanga and Roger Soames
Content in this book is organised by anatomical area (e.g. upper limb, trunk etc) and has summary tables at the end of each section of the muscles associated with each movement. I found this book to be set out better than Snell's or Gray's clinical anatomy for areas such as the Back.
Snell's Clinical anatomy by Regions by Lawerence E. Wisneski
This book was recommended to me by my mother (a Medic) when she was studying anatomy during her degree. We both find this book easier to read and understand than Gray's anatomy which I find provides much more detail than anyone needs to know to succeed in a physiotherapy degree. I love the summary tables for the muscles which have the basic information you need to memorise for the attachments and innervations.
YouTube videos
A great way to make anatomy more interesting and aid memorisation
Summary
Although all the resources I have mentioned are very useful, the best way to memorise anatomy is through repetition. After all learning anatomy is a marathon, not a sprint!
Top tips
- Review anatomy in small chunks daily (~10 minutes)
- Use flashcards and review the ones you struggling to remember regularly
- Try mnemonics or diagrams to aid memorisation (note link to answer on the answer side of the flashcards)
- Start from the inside out (e.g. bones working to muscles or nerves)
- Don't give up. Anatomy can be hard but I promise you will get there!
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