Levatores costarum muscles

The levatores costarum (/ˌlɛvəˈtɔːrz kəˈstɛərəm/), twelve in number on either side, are small tendinous and fleshy bundles, which arise from the ends of the transverse processes of the seventh cervical and upper eleven thoracic vertebrae

Levatores costarum muscles
Deep muscles of the back. (Levatores costarum labeled vertically at center left.)
Details
OriginTransverse processes of C7 to T11 vertebrae
InsertionSuperior surfaces of the ribs immediately inferior to the preceding vertebrae
NerveDorsal rami C8-T11 (Intercostal nerves)
ActionsAssists in elevation of the thoracic rib cage
Identifiers
Latinmusculi levatores costarum
TA98A04.4.01.009
TA22308
FMA71312
Anatomical terms of muscle

They pass obliquely downward and laterally, like the fibers of the Intercostales externi, and each is inserted into the outer surface of the rib immediately below the vertebra from which it takes origin, between the tubercle and the angle (Levatores costarum breves).

Each of the four lower muscles divides into two fasciculi, one of which is inserted as above described; the other passes down to the second rib below its origin (Levatores costarum longi).

They have a role in forceful inspiration.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Thoracic wall" (PDF).

  This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 403 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)