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Portrait of Supraspinatus

Anatomy · Muscles

Supraspinatus

Most commonly torn rotator cuff muscle

Upper limb · shoulder, rotator cuff

Supraspinatus is a small rotator cuff muscle lying in the fossa above the spine of the scapula. Its tendon runs beneath the acromion to the top of the greater tubercle of the humerus, where it starts abduction of the arm and holds the humeral head in the socket. It is the rotator cuff tendon most commonly torn and is supplied by the suprascapular nerve.

How to spot them

  • ▸Fills the depression above the spine of the shoulder blade, hidden beneath the trapezius
  • ▸Tendon passes under the acromion, in the narrow space where impingement occurs
  • ▸One of the four SITS rotator cuff muscles: supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, subscapularis
  • ▸Inserts on the highest facet of the greater tubercle

What to know

A muscle in the fossa above the spine of the scapula, covered by the trapezius

Supraspinatus.

The rotator cuff muscle that initiates raising the arm sideways, over roughly the first 15 degrees

Supraspinatus — then the deltoid takes over.

The rotator cuff tendon that most often tears, passing beneath the acromion

Supraspinatus.

Tested by holding the arms out at 90 degrees, thumbs down, in the 'empty can' position

Supraspinatus.

A muscle supplied by the nerve that passes through the suprascapular notch, below the transverse scapular ligament

Supraspinatus — suprascapular nerve (C5–C6).

It inserts on the superior facet of the greater tubercle of the humerus

Supraspinatus.

Key ideas

  • The four rotator cuff muscles hold the humeral head against the shallow glenoid; supraspinatus also prevents the head being pulled upward by the deltoid.
  • Its tendon passes through the subacromial space, so it is prone to impingement and tears with age and overhead work.

Quick-fire facts

  • •Origin: medial part of the supraspinous fossa of the scapula.
  • •Insertion: superior facet of the greater tubercle of the humerus.
  • •Nerve supply: suprascapular nerve (C5–C6), passing through the suprascapular notch.
  • •Action: initiates abduction of the arm and stabilises the shoulder.
  • •Rotator cuff = SITS: supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, subscapularis.
  • •The supraspinatus tendon is the most frequently torn tendon of the rotator cuff (OrthoInfo, AAOS).
  • •Supraspinatus tears are a leading cause of shoulder pain in older adults.

Drill it — 6 cards

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Sources