Serratus posterior superior muscle
Latin	musculus serratus posterior superior
Gray's	subject #117 404
Origin	nuchal ligament (or ligamentum nuchae) and the spinous processes of the vertebrae C7 through T3
Insertion	the upper borders of the 2nd through 5th ribs
Artery	intercostal arteries
Nerve	2nd through 5th intercostal nerves
Action	elevate the ribs which aids in inspiration

The Serratus posterior superior is a thin, quadrilateral muscle, situated at the upper and back part of the thorax.

It arises by a thin and broad aponeurosis from the lower part of the ligamentum nuchae, from the spinous processes of the seventh cervical and upper two or three thoracic vertebræ and from the supraspinal ligament.

Inclining downward and lateralward it becomes muscular, and is inserted, by four fleshy digitations, into the upper borders of the second, third, fourth, and fifth ribs, a little beyond their angles.

References

• Clinically Oriented Anatomy, 4th ed. Keith L. Moore and Arthur F. Dalley.
• Board Review Series: Gross Anatomy, 4th ed. Kyung Won Chung.

See also

• Serratus anterior muscle
• Serratus posterior inferior muscle

External links

• LUC sps
• Serratus+posterior+superior at eMedicine Dictionary
• SUNY Figs 01:05-02 - "Intermediate layer of the extrinsic muscles of the back, deep muscles."

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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 As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated.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.