shoulder blade

The shoulder blade is the most flexible bone in the human skeleton, from which a multitude of muscles and ligaments arise. It is therefore all the more critical when the shoulder blade is afflicted by injuries or illnesses and the body is consequently exposed to heavy loads that should be treated immediately.

What is the shoulder blade?

The shoulder blade, which is also known in technical terms as the scapula, represents an important bone of the human skeleton. The shoulder blade is found in a flat, triangular shape in the organism, connecting the upper arms and the trunk and at the same time the rear part of the human Shoulder girdle shapes.

The main function of the shoulder blade, in addition to the mobility of the upper arms, is also their suspension and attachment to the human upper body. In addition, the shoulder blades also represent the starting and attachment points of numerous muscles and ligaments.

Extreme stress or accidents can lead to diseases of these muscles or other injuries in the area of ​​the shoulder blade, which inhibit mobility and therefore have to be treated immediately.

Anatomy & structure

A shoulder blade is a flat bone in a triangular shape that is present on both the left and right sides of the human torso. These two shoulder blades join together to form the so-called shoulder girdle of the human skeleton. This shoulder girdle is connected to the breastbone via the collarbones.

Furthermore, the back of the shoulder blade is subdivided by the so-called spina scapulae, which is a bone ridge and ends on the front in the so-called acromion. Together with the collarbone, this is made up of the shoulder joint, which is also known as the acromioclavicular joint, or AC joint for short. Under the acromion, another process ends with the coracoid, which is the origin of numerous muscles and ligaments that stabilize the shoulder joint.

The shoulder blade is made up of a multitude of muscles and tendons that are responsible for moving the arm. Another component on the side of the shoulder blade is the shoulder joint socket, also known as the glenoid. The humerus head is also located in the shoulder joint sockets, which are available once on each side.

Furthermore, each shoulder blade consists of an upper bone pit, a shoulder bone in the middle above and the lower bone pit. In between there is also a joint surface for the upper arm.

Functions & tasks

As an important part of the human skeleton, the shoulder blade is assigned a variety of functions. It is primarily responsible for securing the upper arm.

Numerous muscles and ligaments also arise from the shoulder blade, which are important for central movement processes. However, the shoulder blade plays a particularly important role in the suspension and mobility of the arm. The shoulder blade rotates inwards with arm movements if these extend beyond the horizontal.

In addition, the shoulder blade is a starting point for the rotator cuff, which comprises a muscle group that is of great importance for many movement sequences. For this reason, the shoulder joint is often referred to as the most flexible joint in the human body.

Illnesses & ailments

Serious accidents or falls can lead to injuries in the area of ​​the Scapula come. This can result in a fracture of the shoulder blade, which, however, rarely requires surgery.

In particularly serious accidents, however, there may be simultaneous damage to the shoulder blade and collarbone. The resulting instability of the shoulder suspension requires surgery in this case. However, diseases that affect the muscles attached to the shoulder blade are more common than fractures. Diseases such as impingement syndrome, in which the sliding space of the tendons is restricted, occur particularly frequently.

A rotator cuff tear is also often found, with a tear in a tendon of the shoulder joint. The symptoms that occur here include limited arm mobility and weakness in the patient. In addition, paralysis of the serratus anterior muscle can occur, which manifests itself in a protruding shoulder blade, which is also summarized in medicine under the technical term scapulta alata.

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