The torso or trunk is an anatomical term for the central part, or the core, of the body of many (including human beings), from which the head, neck, limbs, tail and other extend.
The tetrapod torso — including that of a human body — can be divided into segments:
-
The chest or upper torso. This section is also called the thorax or the Chest region . This is where the extend.
-
The abdomen. The abdomenal section is also known as the "mid-section" or midriff.
-
The pelvic and perineum.
Sometimes the pelvic, perineal, and abdomenal regions are grouped together and called the lower torso.
The Hindlimb extend from the lower torso.
The back is also part of the torso.
Anatomy
Major organs
In humans, most critical organs, with the notable exception of the brain, are housed within the torso. In the upper chest, the
heart and
lungs are protected by the
rib cage, and the
abdomen contains most of the organs responsible for
digestion: the
stomach, which breaks down partially digested food via
gastric acid; the
liver, which respectively produces
bile necessary for digestion; the
large intestine and
, which extract nutrients from food; the
Human anus, from which
human feces are egested; the
rectum, which stores
Human feces; the
gallbladder, which stores and concentrates bile; the
, which produce
urine, the
, which pass it to the
urinary bladder for storage; and the
urethra, which excretes urine and in a male passes
sperm through the
. Finally, the
pelvic region houses both the male and female
sex organs.
Major muscle groups
The torso also harbours many of the main groups of muscles in the
tetrapod body, including the
Pectoral muscles, abdominal,
Lateral muscle and epaxial muscles.
Nerve supply
The organs, muscles, and other contents of the torso are supplied by nerves, which mainly originate as
Nerve root from the thoracic and lumbar parts of the
spinal cord. Some organs also receive a nerve supply from the
vagus nerve. The sensation to the skin is provided by the lateral and dorsal cutaneous branches.
Gray797.png|Distribution of cutaneous nerves. Ventral aspect. Dorsal and lateral cutaneous branches labeled at center right.
Gray798.png|Dorsal aspect. Ventral and lateral cutaneous branches labeled at center right.
See also
