Brachialis muscle
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View Jeremy Jones's current disclosuresAt the time the article was last revised Liz Silverstone had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.
View Liz Silverstone's current disclosures- Brachialis muscles
The brachialis muscle is one of the three muscles of the anterior compartment of the upper arm. Unlike biceps brachii (which is also a supinator) it acts only to flex the elbow. Isolated brachialis injuries are rare.
Summary
Brachialis has a large superficial head and a smaller deep head.
The superficial head origin is the anterolateral mid humeral shaft and lateral intermuscular septum. Its thick round tendon inserts into the distal portion of the ulnar tuberosity.
The deep head origin is the anterior distal humeral shaft and medial intermuscular septum and its muscle belly lies posterolateral to the superficial head. The distal aponeurosis narrows, merges with the superficial tendon and inserts onto the proximal ulnar tuberosity as well as the coronoid process.
Innervation is from the musculocutaneous nerve and radial nerve (proprioceptive branch).
Brachialis is the most powerful flexor of the elbow and is most effective at 90 degrees of flexion. It is an important elbow stabilizer.
Variant anatomy
Although rare, supernumerary heads of brachialis have been reported and may cause entrapment of the median nerve and/or brachial artery 3.
Quiz questions
References
- 1. Last's anatomy, regional and applied. Churchill Livingstone. ISBN:044304662X. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 2. Moore KL, Agur AMR, Dalley AF. Clinically oriented anatomy. LWW. ISBN:1451119453. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 3. Vadgaonkar R, Rai R, Ranade AV, Nayak SR, Pai MM, Lakshmi R. A case report on accessory brachialis muscle. (2008) Romanian journal of morphology and embryology = Revue roumaine de morphologie et embryologie. 49 (4): 581-3. Pubmed
- 4. Sanal H, Chen L, Negrao P, Haghighi P, Trudell D, Resnick D. Distal Attachment of the Brachialis Muscle: Anatomic and MRI Study in Cadavers. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2009;192(2):468-72. doi:10.2214/ajr.08.1150 - Pubmed
- 5. Leonello D, Galley I, Bain G, Carter C. Brachialis Muscle Anatomy. The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. 2007;89(6):1293-7. doi:10.2106/jbjs.f.00343 - Pubmed
- 6. Kamineni S, Bachoura A, Behrens W, Kamineni E, Deane A. Distal Insertional Footprint of the Brachialis Muscle: 3D Morphometric Study. Anatomy Research International. 2015;2015:1-6. doi:10.1155/2015/786508
Incoming Links
- Supinator muscle
- Ultrasound of the elbow
- Coronoid process fracture
- Erb palsy
- Inferior ulnar collateral artery
- Cubital fossa
- Humerus
- Ulnar artery
- Brachioradialis muscle
- Elbow bursae
- Musculocutaneous nerve
- Anterior compartment of the arm
- Elbow
- MRI of the elbow (an approach)
- Lateral cutaneous nerve of the forearm
- Ulna
- Movements of the forearm
- Elbow instability
- Accessory brachialis muscle
Related articles: Anatomy: Upper limb
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skeleton of the upper limb
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accessory ossicles of the wrist (mnemonic)
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shoulder joint
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ligaments
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anterior compartment of the forearm
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accessory muscles
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arteries
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brachial plexus (mnemonic)
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