💪 Latissimus Dorsi

Brian Lee
May 10 2025

Summary

Origin	Spinous processes of T6 to T12 (thoracic vertebrae) Last three or four ribs Thoracolumbar fascia Posterior iliac crest Inferior angle of scapula; see Variable Attachment to Inferior Angle of Scapula.
Insertion	Humerus, intertubercular groove
Actions	Extends the shoulder Adducts the shoulder Medially rotates the shoulder

Illustrations

Richer Plate 54

Examples

Anatomical Study of a Male Nude, Leonid Gervits, Year Unknown

Notes

General

Hides behind erector spinae in 3/4 view (Hale and Coyle 1977, 20).
Superior to teres major with a slight overlap. “The teres major (I) bulges out over the edge of the latissimus dorsi” (Hale and Coyle 1977, 22).

Variable Attachment to Inferior Angle of Scapula

Depends on an individual.
Goldfinger omits this entirely.
Present in medical textbooks.

The latissimus dorsi can have muscular fibers arising from the inferior angle of the scapula (type 1 scapular connection, 43%). Alternatively, there may be only a few fibrous strands between the muscle and the scapula or there may be an intervening bursa (type 2 scapular connection, 57%).
Source: Significance of the latissimus dorsi for shoulder instability. I. Variations in its anatomy around the humerus and scapula

The bursa is a small sac filled with lubricating fluid present in joints of the body.
Source: Kenhub

Goldfinger doesn’t mention this attachment. It discusses the overlap between inferior angle of scapula and latissimus dorsi (LD), and that LD may help depress or rotate scapula. Aligns with the article: The latissimus dorsi creates a dynamic track for the inferior angle of the scapula during arm abduction in humans.

Latissimus Dorsi and Trapezius Attachments

V	LD	TRZ
C1-C7		T
T1-T5		T
T6-T12	L	T

References

Wikipedia
TGB p71, Flashcards p8
Goldfinger 1991
- p145–47