Pectoralis minor muscle Information & Pectoralis minor muscle Links at HealthHaven.com

Pectoralis minor
Latin	musculus pectoralis minor
Gray's	subject #122 438
Origin	3rd to 5th ribs, near their costal cartilages
Insertion	medial border and superior surface of the coracoid process of the scapula
Artery	Pectoral branch of the thoracoacromial trunk
Nerve	Medial pectoral nerve (C8, T1)
Actions	It stabilizes the scapula by drawing it inferiorly and anteriorly against the thoracic wall.

The Pectoralis minor is a thin, triangular muscle, situated at the upper part of the chest, beneath the Pectoralis major.

[edit] Origin and insertion

It arises from the upper margins and outer surfaces of the third, fourth, and fifth ribs, near their cartilages and from the aponeuroses covering the Intercostalis.

The fibers pass upward and lateralward and converge to form a flat tendon, which is inserted into the medial border and upper surface of the coracoid process of the scapula.

[edit] Relations

The pectoralis minor muscle is covered anteriorly (superficially) by the clavipectoral fascia. The medial pectoral nerve pierces the pectoralis minor and the clavipectoral fascia.

[edit] Actions

The Pectoralis minor depresses the point of the shoulder, drawing the scapula inferior and medial, towards the thorax, and throwing its inferior angle posteriorly.

[edit] Variations

Origin from second, third and fourth or fifth ribs. The tendon of insertion may extend over the coracoid process to the greater tubercle. May be split into several parts. Absence rare.

[edit] Additional images

Anterior surface of sternum and costal cartilages.	Left scapula. Costal surface.	Deep muscles of the chest and front of the arm, with the boundaries of the axilla.	The axillary artery and its branches.
The veins of the right axilla, viewed from in front.	The right brachial plexus with its short branches, viewed from in front.	Nerves of the left upper extremity.

[edit] External links

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.