The supine position is a position of the body; lying down with the face up, as opposed to the prone position, which is face down. Using terms defined in the anatomical position, the dorsal side is down, and the ventral side is up.
A person in the supine position
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Knee examination
During a knee examination there are several tests done while the patient is in the supine position:
- Masses
- Scars
- Lesions
- Signs of trauma/previous surgery
- Swelling (edema — particular in the medial fossa (the depression medial to the patella)
- erythema (redness)
- Muscle bulk and symmetry (in particular atrophy of the medial aspect of the quadriceps muscle — vastus medialis)
- Displacement of the patella (knee cap)
Other examinations
The supine position is also used for other examinations including an internal autopsy, palpitation and auscultation of the abdominal organs, and cardiovascular assessment. In diagnostic imaging it is used to describe the postition of the patient on the imaging device's table. Same applies to the position of the patient on a radiotherapy table.
