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The muscle that lifts the scapula
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
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The muscle that raises the scapula (m. levator scapulae) begins with tendinous bundles on the posterior tubercles of the transverse processes of the upper three or four cervical vertebrae (between the attachment sites of the middle scalene muscle - in front and the splenius muscle of the neck - behind). Directing downwards, the muscle is attached to the medial edge of the scapula, between its upper angle and spine. In its upper third, it is covered by the sternocleidomastoid muscle, and in its lower third - by the trapezius muscle. Anterior to the muscle that raises the scapula, there is a nerve to the rhomboid muscle and a deep branch of the transverse artery of the neck.
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Innervation
Dorsal nerve of the scapula (CIV-CV).
Blood supply
Ascending cervical artery, transverse artery of the neck.