Trunk – Meaning and Usage in Medical English

👁 What Does “Trunk” Mean?

The trunk refers to the central part of the human body, excluding the head and limbs.

It includes the thorax, abdomen, and pelvis — essentially everything between the neck and the hips.

The word comes from Latin truncus, meaning “the main stem of a tree.”

In modern medicine, trunk is used as a neutral anatomical term, particularly in physiotherapy, rehabilitation, orthopedics, and nursing documentation.

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🔍 Clinical Usage

In clinical settings, trunk is used to describe movement, muscle groups, posture, injuries, and physical assessment findings. You’ll see it in:

• physiotherapy and occupational therapy notes
• nursing assessments
• rehabilitation plans
• discharge summaries
• orthopedic and neurology documentation

Healthcare professionals use the term when discussing core stability, posture, balance, and mobility, because the trunk plays a central role in all of these functions.

Common collocations include:

• trunk rotation
• trunk flexion / extension
• trunk muscles
• trunk control
• trunk stability

Here’s a natural clinical example:

“The patient demonstrated improved trunk stability during sitting balance exercises.”
→ Meaning: The patient could maintain posture more effectively while seated.

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🎥 Watch the Short Video

👉 Watch our 30-second clip: Trunk – Learn how to pronounce it and remember how it’s used in real medical English.

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