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

rhombus In plane Euclidean geometry, a rhombus (: 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 rhom ...

-shaped muscles associated with 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 ...

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

Rhomboid major muscle The rhomboid major is a skeletal muscle of the back that connects the scapula with the vertebrae of the spinal column. It originates from the spinous processes of the thoracic vertebrae T2–T5 and supraspinous ligament; it inserts onto the lower ...

Rhomboid minor muscle In human anatomy, the rhomboid minor is a small skeletal muscle of the back that connects the scapula to the vertebrae of the spinal column. It arises from the nuchal ligament, the 7th cervical and 1st thoracic vertebrae and intervening sup ...

The large rhombus-shaped muscle, located under the trapezius muscle, in the upper part of the

thoracic The thorax (: thoraces or thoraxes) or chest is a part of the anatomy of 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 ...

region of the back, and the small muscle, in the same way, participate in the movement of the scapula. Their functions are the following: * Drawing scapula superomedially * Supporting

* Rotating glenoid cavity inferiorly Both muscles are innervated 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 ...

, a branch of the

brachial plexus The brachial plexus is a network of nerves (nerve plexus) formed by the anterior rami of the lower four Spinal nerve#Cervical nerves, cervical nerves and first Spinal nerve#Thoracic nerves, thoracic nerve (cervical spinal nerve 5, C5, Cervical spi ...

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