The rhomboid major is a skeletal muscle on the back that connects the scapula (shoulder blade) with the vertebrae of the spinal column. There are two rhomboid muscles; the rhomboid…

The rhomboid minor is a small skeletal muscle on the back that connects the scapula (shoulder blade) with the vertebrae of the spinal column. There are two rhomboid muscles; the…

The rhomboid muscles, often simply called the rhomboids, are rhombus-shaped muscles associated with the scapula (shoulder blade) and are chiefly responsible for its retraction. There are two rhomboid muscles; the…

The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and their tendons that act to move and stabilise the shoulder (glenohumeral) joint. These muscles connect the shoulder blade (scapula) to the upper…

The shoulder blade (or scapula), is the bone that connects the humerus (upper arm bone) with the clavicle (collar bone). Like their connected bones the scapulae are paired, with…

Scapular depression is an inferior (downwards) movement of the shoulder girdle – moving the shoulder blade (scapula) down, away from your ear – see Figure 1. The key muscles involved…

Scapular downward rotation (or scapular superior rotation) is a rotary movement of the scapula – moving the inferior (lower) angle of the shoulder blade (scapula) medially and downwards – see…

Scapular elevation is a superior (upwards) movement of the shoulder girdle – moving the shoulder blade (scapula) up – see Figure 1. The key muscles involved in this movement are…

Scapular protraction (or scapular abduction) is a forward movement of the scapula away from the midline of the body – moving the shoulder blade (scapula) away from the spine during…

Scapular retraction (or scapular adduction) is a backwards movement of the scapula towards the midline of the body – moving the shoulder blade (scapula) back towards the spine during retraction…