Longissimus thoracis at a glance
- What it is
- The largest part of the longissimus column of erector spinae.
- Location
- Origin: common erector spinae origin (sacrum, lumbar spinous processes, iliac crest). Insertion: transverse processes of thoracic vertebrae and lower ribs.
- Function
- Extends the vertebral column and bends it laterally.
- Body system
- Muscular · paired (left and right)
- FMA ID
- FMA22751 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)
Key facts
- Innervation: posterior rami of spinal nerves
- It is the longest and thickest erector spinae column in the thoracic region and lies between iliocostalis laterally and spinalis medially.
Clinical relevance
Spasm of the erector spinae, including longissimus, is a common feature of acute low back pain.
Structures next to the longissimus thoracis
The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:
- Eleventh thoracic vertebra · skeletal
- Tenth thoracic vertebra · skeletal
- Hemiazygos vein · cardiovascular
- Adrenal gland · endocrine
- Tenth rib · skeletal
- Intervertebral disk of tenth thoracic vertebra · skeletal
- Ninth rib · skeletal
- Spinalis thoracis · muscular
- Twelfth thoracic vertebra · skeletal
- Intervertebral disk of eleventh thoracic vertebra · skeletal
References
- Foundational Model of Anatomy: Longissimus thoracis (FMA22751). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
- OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §11.2 Naming Skeletal Muscles. Rice University, 2022.
- Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.
Related anatomy
Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.