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5.6 Muscles of the Scapula

Muscles of the Scapula (Rotator Cuff)

Posterior and anterior position of the scapula or rotator cuff.
Image by OpenStax, CC BY 4.0. Modified text labels.

Supraspinatus

Location of the supraspinatus
Image by OpenStax, CC BY 4.0 Modified text labels

Action: Abducts the shoulder

The supraspinatus is named after its location relative to the scapular spine.

  • Supra-: meaning above
  • Spinatus: referring to the scapular spine

Therefore, the supraspinatus can be found above the scapular spine.

 

Infraspinatus

Location of the infraspinatus
Image by OpenStax, CC BY 4.0 Modified text labels

Action: Externally rotates the shoulder

The infraspinatus is named after its location relative to the scapular spine.

  • Infra-: meaning below
  • Spinatus: referring to the scapular spine

Therefore, the infraspinatus can be found below the scapular spine.

 

Location of the Subscapularis
Image by OpenStax, CC BY 4.0 Modified text labels

Subscapularis

Action: Internally rotates the shoulder

Internally rotates the shoulder. The subscapularis is named after its location, ‘under’ or ‘sub’ the scapula.

 

 

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The Foundations of Human Movement and Physical Fitness Copyright © 2025 by A.J. Stephen; Sarah Fraser; and Connor Dalton is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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