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proximal

Proximal means located towards the centre of the body, that is closer to the trunk or to the origin of a structure. The upper arm lies proximal to the forearm. The opposite term is distal.

Latin proximus = the nearest

close to the trunk, close to the body

proximal

The term is used above all on the limbs. A proximal femoral fracture is close to the hip, a distal one close to the knee.

Proximal and distal are among the terms of position and direction you need to have mastered in the first weeks of anatomy, because without them no finding can be described precisely.

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