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Anterior serrated muscle
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
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The anterior serratus muscle (m. serratus anterior) is wide, quadrangular in shape, adjoins the rib cage from the side, forms the medial wall of the axillary cavity. It begins with large teeth on the upper eight to nine ribs and is attached to the medial edge and lower angle of the scapula. The upper and middle bundles of the muscle lie horizontally, the lower bundles are located obliquely and pass from front to back and from bottom to top. The teeth of the external oblique abdominal muscle enter the spaces between the lower teeth of the anterior serratus muscle.
[ Function of the serratus anterior muscle
Pulls the scapula, especially the lower angle, forward and laterally. The lower bundles of the muscle help rotate the scapula around the sagittal axis, causing the lateral angle of the scapula to move upward and medially - the arm rises above the horizontal. With a strengthened scapula, the serratus anterior muscle lifts the ribs, helping to expand the chest.