Erector spinae

Erector spinae

  • Latin synonym: Musculus erector spinae
  • Synonym: Erector spinae muscle; Sacrospinalis muscle

Definition

Origin: On the spines of the last fourthoracic vertebrae

Insertion: Both the spines of the most cranial thoracic vertebrae and the cervical vertebrae

Artery: Lateral sacral artery

Nerve: Posterior branch of spinal nerve

Action: Extends thevertebral column

Antagonist: Rectus abdominis muscle

Description:
The Sacrospinalis (Erector spinae) and its prolongations in the thoracic and cervical regions, lie in the groove on the side of the vertebral column. They are covered in the lumbar and thoracic regions by the lumbodorsal fascia, and in the cervical region by the nuchal fascia. This large muscular and tendinous mass varies in size and structure at different parts of the vertebral column. In the sacral region it is narrow and pointed, and at its origin chiefly tendinous in structure. In the lumbar region it is larger, and forms a thick fleshy mass which, on being followed upward, is subdivided into three columns; these gradually diminish in size as they ascend to be inserted into the vertebrae and ribs.
The Sacrospinalis arises from the anterior surface of a broad and thick tendon, which is attached to the medial crest of the sacrum, to the spinous processes of the lumbar and the eleventh and twelfth thoracic vertebrae, and the supraspinal ligament, to the back part of the inner lip of the iliac crests and to the lateral crests of the sacrum, where it blends with the sacrotuberous and posterior sacroiliac ligaments. Some of its fibers are continuous with the fibers of origin of the Glutaeus maximus. The muscular fibers form a large fleshy mass which splits, in the upper lumbar region into three columns, viz., a lateral, the Iliocostalis,an intermediate, the Longissimus, and a medial, the Spinalis.

This definition incorporates text from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy (20th U.S. edition of Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body, published in 1918 – from http://www.bartleby.com/107/).

Comparative anatomy in animals

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