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Subclavius: anatomy, location and function

A small muscle between the clavicle and the first rib. Anchors and depresses the clavicle, stabilizing the sternoclavicular joint.

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Highlighted in the model: Subclavius. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The model is an adult male.

Subclavius at a glance

What it is
A small muscle between the clavicle and the first rib.
Location
Originates from the first rib and its costal cartilage and inserts onto the groove on the underside of the middle third of the clavicle.
Function
Anchors and depresses the clavicle, stabilizing the sternoclavicular joint.
Body system
Muscular · paired (left and right)
FMA ID
FMA13412 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • Innervation: nerve to subclavius (C5–C6)
  • Blood supply: clavicular branch of the thoraco-acromial artery
  • It lies above the subclavian vessels and the trunks and divisions of the brachial plexus as they pass under the clavicle.

Clinical relevance

It helps cushion the neurovascular bundle if the clavicle fractures.

Structures next to the subclavius

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Subclavius (FMA13412). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §11.2 Naming Skeletal Muscles. Rice University, 2022.
  3. 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.