The rhomboid muscles (), often simply called the rhomboids, are

rhombus In plane Euclidean geometry, a rhombus (plural rhombi or rhombuses) is a quadrilateral whose four sides all have the same length. Another name is equilateral quadrilateral, since equilateral means that all of its sides are equal in length. The ...

-shaped muscles associated with the

scapula The scapula (plural scapulae or scapulas), also known as the shoulder blade, is the bone that connects the humerus (upper arm bone) with the clavicle (collar bone). Like their connected bones, the scapulae are paired, with each scapula on eith ...

. There are two rhomboid muscles on each side of the upper back: * Rhomboid major muscle *

Rhomboid minor muscle In human anatomy, the rhomboid minor is a small skeletal muscle on the back that connects the scapula with the vertebrae of the spinal column. Located inferior to levator scapulae and superior to rhomboid major, it acts together with the latt ...

The large rhombus-shaped muscle, located under the

trapezius 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 th ...

muscle in the upper part of the

thoracic The thorax or chest is a part of the anatomy of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions of the crea ...

region of the back, and the small muscle, in the same way, participate in the movement of the scapula.

Anatomy

The rhomboid major muscle originates from the spinous processes of vertebrae T2–T5, while it inserts to the medial border of the scapula. The rhomboid minor muscle originates from the

nuchal ligament The nuchal ligament is a ligament at the back of the neck that is continuous with the supraspinous ligament. Structure The nuchal ligament extends from the external occipital protuberance on the skull and median nuchal line to the spinous proc ...

and spinous processes of vertebrae C7–T1. Both muscles are innervated by the dorsal scapular nerve, a branch of the

brachial plexus The brachial plexus is a network () of nerves formed by the anterior rami of the lower four cervical nerves and first thoracic nerve ( C5, C6, C7, C8, and T1). This plexus extends from the spinal cord, through the cervicoaxillary canal in t ...

. Their functions are the following: * Drawing scapula superomedially * Supporting scapula * Rotating glenoid cavity inferiorly

Additional images

File:Rhomboid muscles animation small.gif, Rhomboid muscles. File:Muscles rhomboïdes.jpg, Rhomboid muscles. File:Gray203.png, Left

. Posterior surface. File:BodybuildingWoman.jpg, Full back muscle flex ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhomboid Muscles Muscles of the torso