Supraspinous fossa
part of the shoulderblade
The supraspinous fossa (supraspinatus fossa, supraspinatous fossa) of the posterior aspect of the scapula (the shoulder blade) is smaller than the infraspinous fossa, concave, smooth, and broader at its vertebral than at its humeral end. Its medial two-thirds give origin to the supraspinatus muscle.
Structure
The fossa can be exposed by the removal of skin and the superficial fascia of the back and the trapezius muscle.
The supraspinous fossa is bounded by the spine of scapula on the inferior side, acromion process on the lateral side and the superior angle of scapula on the superior side.
Supraspinatus muscle originates from the supraspinous fossa. Distal attachment of the levator scapulae muscle is also on the medial aspect of the fossa.
Function
The suprascapular artery and nerve are found within the fossa. The posterior branch of the suprascapular artery supplies the supraspinatous muscle. Dorsal scapular artery also gives off a collateral branch and anastomoses with the suprascapular artery. Suprascapular nerve from the brachial plexus passes through the suprascapular notch as it approaches the fossa to supply the supraspinatus muscle.
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This entry incorporates text from “Supraspinous fossa” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.