Scalenus medius at a glance
- What it is
- The largest and longest of the scalene muscles.
- Location
- Originates from the posterior tubercles of the transverse processes of C2 to C7 and inserts onto the upper surface of the first rib behind the groove for the subclavian artery.
- Function
- Elevates the first rib and bends the neck to the same side.
- Body system
- Muscular · paired (left and right)
- FMA ID
- FMA13391 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)
Key facts
- Innervation: anterior rami of C3–C8
- The brachial plexus roots and subclavian artery pass between it and scalenus anterior
Structures next to the scalenus medius
The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:
- Deep cervical artery · cardiovascular
- Scalenus anterior · muscular
- Sternocleidomastoid · muscular
- Scalenus posterior · muscular
- Longissimus capitis · muscular
- Omohyoid · muscular
- Vertical intermediate part of longus colli · muscular
- Inferior thyroid artery · cardiovascular
- Levator scapulae · muscular
- Posterior crico-arytenoid · muscular
References
- Foundational Model of Anatomy: Scalenus medius (FMA13391). 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.