Ch. 3.3: The Transverse Plane

The transverse plane runs horizontally and divides the body into top and bottom parts. The motions in this plane, and around its axis, are lateral and medial rotation.

Written by

Willem Kramer

Published on

June 26, 2025

The transverse plane, also known as the axial or horizontal plane, runs horizontally and divides the body into top and bottom parts. The axis that goes with this plane runs top to bottom and is known as the vertical axis.

Motions in this plane and around its axis are lateral rotation and medial rotation

The motions of the transverse plane include:
  • Abduction and adduction of the big toe.
  • Abduction and adduction of the lesser toes.
  • Horizontal abduction and adduction of the hip (not included in atlas)
  • Protraction and retraction of the shoulder girdle.
  • Horizontal abduction and adduction of the shoulder (not included in atlas).
  • Pronation and supination of the forearm.

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Author

Willem Kramer is a Netherlands-trained physiotherapist and US-licensed massage therapist with over thirty years of experience working with professional athletes, entertainers, and executives worldwide. He reorganizes anatomy around how the body moves, working from the premise that motion is a whole-body event involving all twelve organ systems within the anatomical planes of motion. He is the author of Anatomy by Planes — a three-atlas set with a foreword by Andrew Luck — and its companion Clinical & Training Guide, and the creator of Motion Anatomy (motionanatomy.com), a free introduction to the framework.

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