In anatomical position, which statement is not correct?

• A. The thumb is medial to the fingers
• B. The thumb is lateral to the fingers
• C. The palm is anterior to the back of the hand
• D. The toes are distal to the knee

Answer: (A)

In anatomical position, understand that medial means toward the midline of the body and lateral means away from it; the palm faces forward so the palm is anterior to the back of the hand. The toes being distal to the knee makes sense because they’re farther from the trunk than the knee is.

The thumb sits on the outer (lateral) side of the hand, not the inner (medial) side. So saying the thumb is medial to the fingers is not correct. That’s why this statement is the not-correct one. The other statements—thumb being lateral to the fingers, palm being anterior to the back of the hand, and toes being distal to the knee—are all consistent with anatomical position.