| Levatores costarum muscles | |
|---|---|
| Deep muscles of the back. (Levatores costarum labeled vertically at center left.) | |
| Latin | musculi levatores costarum |
| Gray's | subject #117 403 |
| Origin | Transverse processes of C7 to T12 vertebrae |
| Insertion | Superior surfaces of the ribs immediately inferior to the preceding vertebrae |
| Artery | |
| Nerve | dorsal rami C8-T11 |
| Actions | Assists in elevation of the thoracic rib cage |
The Levatores costarum, twelve in number on either side, are small tendinous and fleshy bundles, which arise from the ends of the transverse processes of the seventh cervical and upper eleven thoracic vertebrae
They pass obliquely downward and laterally, like the fibers of the Intercostales externi, and each is inserted into the outer surface of the rib immediately below the vertebra from which it takes origin, between the tubercle and the angle (Levatores costarum breves).
Each of the four lower muscles divides into two fasciculi, one of which is inserted as above described; the other passes down to the second rib below its origin (Levatores costarum longi).
Their role in normal inspiration, if any, is uncertain. They have been suggested to have a proprioceptive function.
This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.
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