Arm and shoulder anatomy

Glenohumeral joint

The glenohumeral joint is one of the joints associated with the shoulder girdle that allow a full range of movement of the upper limb . It is simply the articulation between the laterally projecting glenoid fossa (depression), or glenoid cavity, of the scapula and the head of the humerus.

Learn everything about this important joint by diving into the following learning materials.

Bones

The shoulder is the region where the upper limb is attached to the trunk. The bones of the shoulder are:

• the clavicle
• the scapula
• the humerus

Test your knowledge of the clavicle, scapula and humerus with our labeled diagram exercises and quizzes!

The humerus is the bone of the arm that articulates with the scapula proximally and with the radius and the ulna distally. Immerse yourself with the following learning materials to learn everything about the bones of the arm.

Muscles

The two most superficial muscles of the shoulder are the deltoid and the trapezius muscles. These muscles provide the shoulder with its characteristic contour.

Test your knowledge on the muscles of the arm and shoulder with this quiz.

Another group of muscles that is quite important for this region is the rotator cuff muscles. This group consists of 4 muscles: the supraspinatus, the infraspinatus, the teres minor, and the subscapularis.

Remember the rotator cuff muscles easily using the following mnemonic!

Rotator cuff SITS on the shoulder

• Supraspinatus
• Infraspinatus
• Teres minor
• Subscapularis

The rotator cuff anatomy is presented in the following table.

Besides the rotator cuff, there are also other muscles that are important for the movements of the upper limb and are located in the region of the shoulder and arm: 

• Teres major
• Serratus anterior
• Levator scapulae
• Rhomboid major
• Rhomboid minor
• Pectoralis major
• Pectoralis minor
• Coracobrachialis
• Latissimus dorsi
• Brachialis
• Biceps brachii
• Triceps brachii

Take a look at the bottom of the page for an arm muscles diagram and use our quizzes and videos in the following page to learn everything about those muscles. 

Nerves

The nerves in this area originate from the brachial plexus. The plexus is made by the merging of the anterior branches of the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th cervical nerves (C5-C8) with participation of the anterior branch of the first thoracic spinal nerve (T1). 

In the shoulder and arm, the brachial plexus gives rise to two nerves:

• the suprascapular nerve
• the axillary nerve

When the brachial plexus is injured, these nerves are affected and some interesting clinical syndromes can be observed. 

Arteries and veins

The main artery in the shoulder is the axillary artery. This artery begins at the lateral border of the 1st rib, as the continuation of the subclavian artery, and ends at the inferior border of the teres major. It passes posterior to the pectoralis minor into the arm and becomes the brachial artery when it passes the inferior border of the teres major. The axillary artery gives rise to all the arterial branches that provide blood to the shoulder and arm, as you can see in the following video and article. 

The venous drainage of the arm is a continuation of the venous system of the forearm. Specifically the main veins of this area are the deep brachial veins (deep veins that accompany the brachial artery), and the basilic and cephalic veins. All these veins drain finally to the subclavian veins.

You can learn more about the arteries and veins of the shoulder and arm with the following study units.

This quiz is specially designed to test your knowledge about the shoulder and arm. It specifically focuses on bones, muscles (including attachments, innervation, functions), arteries, veins, and nerves. Tackle it to cement and master the anatomy of the arm and shoulder!

Related articles

Articles within this topic:

• Acromioclavicular (AC) joint
• Anconeus muscle
• Arm muscles
• Biceps brachii muscle
• Brachialis muscle
• Capitulum of humerus
• Clavicle
• Clinical case: Dislocated shoulder
• Coracoacromial ligament
• Coracobrachialis muscle
• Coracoclavicular ligament
• Coracohumeral ligament
• Coracoid process of scapula
• Deltoid muscle
• Deltoid tuberosity of humerus
• Fascias and spaces of the shoulder girdle region
• Glenohumeral joint
• Greater tubercle of humerus
• Humerus
• Infraspinatus muscle
• Joints and ligaments of the upper limb
• Lateral epicondyle of humerus
• Medial epicondyle of humerus
• Rotator cuff
• Scapula
• Scapulothoracic joint
• Shoulder girdle
• Shoulder muscles
• Spine of scapula
• Sternoclavicular joint
• Subacromial bursa
• Subscapularis muscle
• Supraspinatus muscle
• Surgical neck of humerus
• Teres major muscle
• Teres minor muscle
• Triceps brachii muscle
• Upper limb anatomy