Scapula

Click to View Larger Image

The scapula is the technical name for the shoulder blade. It is a flat, triangular bone that lies over the back of the upper ribs. The rear surface can be felt under the skin. It serves as an attachment for some of the muscles and tendons of the arm, neck, chest and back and aids in the movements of the arm and shoulder. It is well padded with muscle so that great force is required to fracture it. The back surface of each scapula is divided into unequal portions by a spine. This spine leads to a head, which bears two processes-the acromion process that forms the tip of the shoulder and a coracoid process that curves forward and down below the clavicle (collarbone). The acromion process joins a clavicle and provides attachments for muscles of the arm and chest muscles. The acromion is a bony prominence at the top of the shoulder blade. On the head of the scapula, between the processes mentioned above, is a depression called the glenoid cavity. It joins with the head of the upper arm bone (humerus).