BoneFlat bone
Scapula
Latin: Scapula sinistra
Location: Back — posterior shoulder
Paired structure: one on the left and one on the right side of the body.
View the scapula in 3DFunction
A floating triangular plate suspended by muscle alone. It widens the shoulder's working circle — the glenoid cup for the humerus, the acromial roof and the corrugated fossae for the rotator cuff's horsepower.
Landmarks
- Glenoid cavity
- Acromion
- Coracoid process
- Spine
- Infraspinous and supraspinous fossae
- Inferior angle
- Medial border
Articulations (joints)
- Clavicle (AC joint)
- Humerus (glenohumeral joint)
Clinical relevance
Scapular winging follows long thoracic nerve palsy; a 'floating shoulder' — clavicle plus scapular neck fracture — destabilises the whole upper limb.
Educational anatomy reference, not medical advice. About this content.