The levator scapulae is a slender

skeletal muscle Skeletal muscle (commonly referred to as muscle) is one of the three types of vertebrate muscle tissue, the others being cardiac muscle and smooth muscle. They are part of the somatic nervous system, voluntary muscular system and typically are a ...

situated at the back and side of the neck. It originates from the

transverse processes Each vertebra (: vertebrae) is an irregular bone with a complex structure composed of bone and some hyaline cartilage, that make up the vertebral column or spine, of vertebrates. The proportions of the vertebrae differ according to their spina ...

of the four uppermost

cervical vertebrae In tetrapods, cervical vertebrae (: vertebra) are the vertebrae of the neck, immediately below the skull. Truncal vertebrae (divided into thoracic and lumbar vertebrae in mammals) lie caudal (toward the tail) of cervical vertebrae. In saurop ...

; it inserts onto the upper portion of the medial border of the scapula. It is innervated by the cervical nerves C3-C4, and frequently also by the

dorsal scapular nerve The dorsal scapular nerve is a branch of the brachial plexus, usually derived from the ventral ramus of cervical nerve C5. It provides motor innervation to the rhomboid major muscle, rhomboid minor muscle, and levator scapulae muscle. Dorsal ...

. As the Latin name suggests, its main function is to lift the

scapula The scapula (: 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 either side ...

Anatomy

Attachments

The muscle descends diagonally from its origin to its insertion.

Origin

The levator scapulae originates from the posterior tubercles of the

C1-4. At its origin, it attaches via tendinous slips.

Insertion

It inserts onto the medial border of the scapula (with its site of insertion extending between the superior angle of the scapula superiorly, and the junction of

spine of scapula The spine of the scapula or scapular spine is a prominent plate of bone, which crosses obliquely the medial four-fifths of the scapula at its upper part, and separates the supra- from the infraspinatous fossa. Structure It begins at the vertica ...

and medial border of scapula inferiorly).

Relations

One of the muscles within the floor of the

posterior triangle of the neck The posterior triangle (or lateral cervical region) is a region of the neck. Boundaries The posterior triangle has the following boundaries: Apex: Union of the sternocleidomastoid and the trapezius muscles at the superior nuchal line of the occ ...

, the superior part of levator scapulae is covered by sternocleidomastoid and its inferior part by 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 human spine, spine and laterally to the spine of the scapula. It moves the scapula and ...

. It is bounded in front by the scalenus medius and behind by

splenius cervicis The splenius cervicis () (also known as the splenius colli, ) is a muscle in the back of the neck. It arises by a narrow tendinous band from the spinous processes of the third to the sixth thoracic vertebrae; it is inserted, by tendinous fasciculi ...

. The

spinal accessory nerve The accessory nerve, also known as the eleventh cranial nerve, cranial nerve XI, or simply CN XI, is a cranial nerve that supplies the sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles. It is classified as the eleventh of twelve pairs of cranial nerves ...

crosses laterally in the middle part of the muscle and the

may lie deep to or pass through it. The levator scapulae may lie deep to the

sternocleidomastoid The sternocleidomastoid muscle is one of the largest and most superficial cervical muscles. The primary actions of the muscle are rotation of the head to the opposite side and flexion of the neck. The sternocleidomastoid is innervated by the acces ...

at its origin, deep or adjacent to the

splenius capitis The splenius capitis () () is a broad, straplike muscle in the back of the neck. It pulls on the base of the skull from the vertebrae cervical vertebra, in the neck and upper Thoracic vertebrae, thorax. It is involved in movements such as shaking ...

at its origin and mid-portion, and deep to the

in its lower portion.

Variation

The number of attachments varies; a slip may extend to the occipital or

mastoid The mastoid part of the temporal bone is the posterior (back) part of the temporal bone, one of the bones of the skull. Its rough surface gives attachment to various muscles (via tendons) and it has openings for blood vessels. From its borders, t ...

, to the

, scalene or

serratus anterior The serratus anterior is a muscle of the chest. It originates at the side of the chest from the upper 8 or 9 ribs; it inserts along the entire length of the anterior aspect of the medial border of the scapula. It is innervated by the long thor ...

, or to the first or second rib. The muscle may be subdivided into several distinct parts from origin to insertion. Levator claviculæ from the transverse processes of one or two upper cervical vertebræ to the outer end of the

clavicle The clavicle, collarbone, or keybone is a slender, S-shaped long bone approximately long that serves as a strut between the scapula, shoulder blade and the sternum (breastbone). There are two clavicles, one on each side of the body. The clavic ...

corresponds to a muscle of lower animals. More or less union with the serratus anterior muscle.''

Gray's Anatomy ''Gray's Anatomy'' is a reference book of human anatomy written by Henry Gray, illustrated by Henry Vandyke Carter and first published in London in 1858. It has had multiple revised editions, and the current edition, the 42nd (October 2020 ...

'' (1918), see infobox

Innervation

The levator scapulae is innervated by 2–3 branches of the 3rd and 4th

cervical nerves A spinal nerve is a mixed nerve, which carries motor, sensory, and autonomic signals between the spinal cord and the body. In the human body there are 31 pairs of spinal nerves, one on each side of the vertebral column. These are grouped into ...

, and frequently by a branch from the

Blood supply

The levator scapulae is supplied by the

dorsal scapular artery The transverse cervical artery (transverse artery of neck or transversa colli artery) is an artery in the neck and a branch of the thyrocervical trunk, running at a higher level than the suprascapular artery. Structure It passes transversely ...

. Normally, this artery has a small branch which passes laterally to the supraspinatus fossa of the scapula, and in a third of cases, this branch supplies the muscle. If the dorsal scapular artery comes off the

transverse cervical artery The transverse cervical artery (transverse artery of neck or transversa colli artery) is an artery in the neck and a branch of the thyrocervical trunk, running at a higher level than the suprascapular artery. Structure It passes transversely ...

, the parent transverse cervical artery splits the dorsal scapular artery passes medially, while the transverse cervical artery passes laterally.

Function

When the spine is fixed, levator scapulae elevates the scapula and rotates its

inferior angle The scapula (: 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 either side ...

medially. It often works in combination with other muscles like the rhomboids and

pectoralis minor Pectoralis minor muscle () is a thin, triangular muscle, situated at the upper part of the chest, beneath the pectoralis major in the human body. It arises from ribs III-V; it inserts onto the coracoid process of the scapula. It is innervated by ...

to produce downward rotation of the scapula. Elevating or rotating one shoulder at a time would require muscles to stabilize the cervical spine and keep it immobile so it does not flex or rotate. Elevating both at once with equal amounts of pull on both side of cervical spinal origins would counteract these forces. Downward rotation would be prevented by co-contraction of other muscles that elevate the spine, the upper fibers of the trapezius, which is an upward rotator. When the shoulder is fixed, levator scapulae rotates to the same side and flexes the cervical spine laterally. When both shoulders are fixed, a simultaneous co-contraction of both levator scapulae muscles in equal amounts would not produce lateral flexion or rotation, and may produce straight flexion or extension of the cervical spine.

Non-human animals

The muscles of the shoulder can be categorized into three topographic units: the scapulohumeral, axiohumeral, and axioscapular groups. Levator scapulae forms part of the latter group together with rhomboid major, rhomboid minor, serratus anterior, and trapezius. The trapezius evolved separately, but the other three muscles in this group evolved from the first eight or ten ribs and the transverse processes of the cervical vertebrae (homologous to the ribs). The serratus anterior formed the basal unit for these three muscles. In higher primates it has evolved into two separate muscles—serratus anterior and levator scapulae—by concentration of the proximal and distal fibers and progressive reduction of the intermediate fibers. The fibers concerned with the cranial displacement of the scapula became the levator scapulae.

Additional images

File:Levator scapulae muscle animation small2.gif, Position of levator scapulae muscle File:Gray84.png, A cervical vertebra File:Gray85.png, Side view of a typical cervical vertebra File:Gray203.png, Left scapula. Dorsal surface. File:Gray384.png, Section of the neck at about the level of the sixth cervical vertebra File:Gray385.png, Muscles of the neck. Lateral view. File:Gray794.png, Hypoglossal nerve, cervical plexus, and their branches File:Gray808.png, The right brachial plexus with its short branches, viewed from in front File:Anterior region of neck.JPG, Levator scapulae muscle File:Slide1cord.JPG, Brachial plexus. Deep dissection. File:Slide1ecc.JPG, Brachial plexus. Deep dissection. Anterolateral view

References

Sources

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External links

{{Authority control Muscles of the upper limb Spine lateral flexors Spine rotators