Brachialis muscle

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Brachialis
Cross-section through the middle of upper arm. (Brachialis labeled at center left.)
Deep muscles of the chest and front of the arm, with the boundaries of the axilla. (Brachialis visible at bottom right.)
Latin musculus brachialis
Gray's subject #124 444
Origin: anterior surface of the humerus, particularly the distal half of this bone
Insertion: distally at the coronoid process and the tuberosity of the ulna
Blood: branches of the brachial artery
Nerve: musculocutaneous nerve
Action: The ulna does not rotate, so brachialis's only action is flexion. Pronation/supination of the forearm does not affect its action.
Dorlands/Elsevier m_22/12548498

The brachialis (brachialis anticus) is a muscle in the upper arm that flexes the elbow joint. It lies just deep to biceps brachii, and is a more powerful flexor of the elbow. It makes up part of the floor of the region known as the cubital fossa.

The brachialis originates from the lower half of the front of the humerus, near the insertion of the deltoid muscle, which it embraces by two angular processes. Its origin extends below to within 2.5 cm. of the margin of the articular surface of the humerus. It also arises from the intermuscular septa of the arm, but more extensively from the medial than the lateral; it is separated from the lateral below by the brachioradialis and extensor carpi radialis longus muscles.

Its fibers converge to a thick tendon, which is inserted into the tuberosity of the ulna and the rough depression on the anterior surface of the coronoid process of the ulna.

Contents

[edit] Innervation

The brachialis muscle is innervated by the musculocutaneous nerve, which runs on its superficial surface, between it and the biceps brachii.

[edit] Actions

The brachialis is the strongest flexor of the elbow. Unlike the biceps, the brachialis does not insert on the radius, and therefore cannot participate in pronation/supination of the forearm.

[edit] Variations

Occasionally doubled; additional slips to the supinator, pronator teres, biceps brachii, lacertus fibrosus, or radius are more rarely found.

[edit] Additional images

[edit] External links

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.

Muscles of the HeadNeckTrunkUpper limbLower limbLIST OF ALL MUSCLES

VERTEBRAL COLUMN: trapezius | latissimus dorsi | rhomboid major | rhomboid minor | levator scapulae | (Gray's s121)

ANTERIOR AND LATERAL THORACIC WALLS: pectoralis major | pectoralis minor | subclavius | serratus anterior | (Gray's s122)

SHOULDER: deltoid | rotator cuff (subscapularis, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor) | teres major | (Gray's s123)

ARM: coracobrachialis | biceps brachii | brachialis | triceps brachii | (Gray's s124)

FOREARM: Volar super. | pronator teres | palmaris longus | flexor carpi radialis | flexor carpi ulnaris | flexor digitorum superficialis
Volar deep | flexor digitorum profundus | flexor pollicis longus | pronator quadratus
Dorsal super. | brachioradialis | extensor digitorum | extensor carpi radialis longus | extensor digiti minimi | extensor carpi radialis brevis | extensor carpi ulnaris | anconeus
Dorsal deep | supinator | abductor pollicis longus | extensor pollicis brevis | extensor pollicis longus | extensor indicis | (Gray's s125)

HAND: Lateral volar | abductor pollicis brevis | thenar (opponens pollicis, flexor pollicis brevis, adductor pollicis)
Medial volar | palmaris brevis | hypothenar (abductor minimi digiti, flexor digiti minimi brevis, opponens digiti minimi)
Intermediate | lumbrical | dorsal interossei | palmar interossei | (Gray's s126)