trapezius muscle
The trapezius is a large paired trapezoid-shaped surface muscle that extends longitudinally from the occipital bone to the lower thoracic vertebrae of the spine and laterally to the spine of the scapula. It moves the scapula and supports the arm.
Key facts
- Muscle.Name
- Trapezius
- Muscle.Latin
- musculus trapezius
- Muscle.Image
- Trapezius.png
- Muscle.Caption
- The trapezius muscle (: trapezii) is a surface muscle of back, shown in red above.
- Muscle.Image2
- CucullarisMuscle.jpg
- Muscle.Caption2
- Superficial dissection of the right-sided back, showing the trapezius and adjacent muscles. (After Piersol's Anatomy.)
- Muscle.Origin
- Medial one-third of superior nuchal line, external occipital protuberance, spinous processes of vertebrae C7-T12, Nuchal ligament
- Muscle.Insertion
- Posterior border of the lateral one-third of the clavicle, acromion process, and spine of scapula
- Muscle.Blood
- Superficial branch of transverse cervical artery or superficial cervical artery
- Muscle.Nerve
- Accessory nerve (motor) cervical spinal nerves C3 and C4 (motor and sensation)
- Muscle.Action
Article
14 sectionsContents
- Name and history
- Structure
- Innervation
- Function
- Scapular movements
- Spinal movements
- Clinical significance
- Palsy
- Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy
- Underdevelopment
- Society and culture
- Exercises
- References
- External links
The trapezius is a large paired trapezoid-shaped surface muscle that extends longitudinally from the occipital bone to the lower thoracic vertebrae of the spine and laterally to the spine of the scapula. It moves the scapula and supports the arm.
The trapezius has three functional parts: an upper (descending) part, which supports the weight of the arm; a middle region (transverse), which retracts the scapula; and a lower (ascending) part, which medially rotates and depresses the scapula.