Which plane divides the body into front and back portions?

• A. Frontal plane
• B. Sagittal plane
• C. Transverse plane
• D. Horizontal plane

Answer: (A)

The frontal plane, also called the coronal plane, divides the body into front (anterior) and back (posterior) portions. It runs vertically from head to toe and is perpendicular to the sagittal plane, which splits the body into left and right parts. Movements that occur in this plane include abduction and adduction, such as lifting the arm away from the body or bringing it back toward the midline. In contrast, the sagittal plane divides left and right, and the transverse (horizontal) plane divides upper and lower parts, so they don’t separate front from back.