How To Remember Every Muscle in the Upper Limb and Arm | Corporis
Summary
TLDRThis educational video, sponsored by Kenhub, offers a comprehensive guide to memorizing the skeletal muscles of the upper limb. Host Patrick breaks down the complex anatomy into manageable sections, providing tips and tricks for remembering key muscles such as the trapezius, latissimus dorsi, and the pectoralis major. He covers muscles related to the shoulder joint, upper arm, forearm, and intricate hand muscles, using mnemonic devices and anatomical insights to facilitate learning. The video also highlights Kenhub's resources, including quizzes and in-depth articles, as valuable tools for mastering anatomy.
Takeaways
- đȘ The video is sponsored by Kenhub, a resource for learning anatomy.
- đ The video focuses on tips and tricks for remembering skeletal muscles of the upper limb, presented in small sections for beginners.
- 𩮠The trapezius muscle is large, spans from the base of the skull to the lowest thoracic vertebrae, and is named for its trapezoid shape.
- đïžââïž The latissimus dorsi, or 'lats', is the widest muscle in the body and spans from the thoracic vertebrae to the sacrum.
- đșïž Rhomboid major and minor muscles originate on the spine and insert on the scapula, aiding in shoulder retraction.
- đïžââïž The pectoralis major and minor muscles are in the chest, with the major being the large superficial muscle and the minor being smaller and underneath.
- đŠ” The deltoid muscle is the most superficial shoulder muscle, shaped like a triangle, and is involved in moving the shoulder joint.
- đïž The muscles of the upper arm, including biceps brachii and triceps brachii, are named for their number of heads and location.
- đ€Č The forearm muscles, like the flexor carpi radialis and extensor carpi ulnaris, are named for their functions and locations on the forearm.
- đ The hand muscles, including the thenar and hypothenar masses, control thumb and pinky movements respectively.
Q & A
What is the main purpose of the video?
-The main purpose of the video is to teach viewers tips and tricks for remembering the skeletal muscles of the upper limb as seen in an anatomy class.
How is the list of muscles presented in the video?
-The list of muscles is presented in smaller chunks of 4 to 8 muscles to make the lesson more manageable for beginners.
What is the significance of the trapezius muscle?
-The trapezius is a large muscle that inserts on the scapula and clavicle and originates from the base of the skull to the lowest thoracic vertebrae, playing a crucial role in shoulder movement.
How is the latissimus dorsi muscle described in the video?
-The latissimus dorsi is described as the widest muscle in the body, spanning from shoulder to shoulder and from the thoracic vertebrae down to the sacrum, and inserting on the humerus.
What is the function of the rhomboid muscles?
-The rhomboid major and rhomboid minor muscles originate on the spine and insert on the scapula, helping to retract the shoulder blades and maintain good posture.
What is the pectoralis major muscle's primary function?
-The pectoralis major, also known as the 'big chest muscle,' is responsible for various movements of the arm and shoulder.
What is the role of the serratus anterior muscle?
-The serratus anterior muscle is named for its serrated or sawtooth-like pattern and is involved in the movement of the scapula, such as when punching forward with a straight arm.
What is the deltoid muscle and its function?
-The deltoid muscle is the largest and most superficial muscle around the shoulder joint, resembling the Greek letter delta in shape, and is involved in shoulder movements.
What are the four muscles of the rotator cuff and their locations?
-The four muscles of the rotator cuff are the supraspinatus (superior to the spine of the scapula), infraspinatus (inferior to the spine of the scapula), teres minor, and subscapularis (under the scapula).
What is the function of the biceps brachii and triceps brachii muscles?
-The biceps brachii is a two-headed muscle of the upper arm primarily responsible for flexing the forearm at the elbow, while the triceps brachii, a three-headed muscle, is responsible for extending the forearm at the elbow.
How does the video suggest remembering the forearm muscles?
-The video suggests using the action and anatomical region naming patterns of the forearm muscles, such as flexors on the anterior side and extensors on the posterior side, to remember them.
Outlines
đȘ Upper Limb Muscles Overview
This paragraph introduces the video, sponsored by Kenhub, focusing on memorization techniques for the skeletal muscles of the upper limb. Patrick, the instructor, plans to break down the list of muscles into smaller, manageable sections for beginners, with a list of sections and timestamps provided in the video description. The first set of muscles discussed are those associated with back exercises, including the trapezius, latissimus dorsi, rhomboid major and minor, and levator scapulae, which all play a role in shoulder blade movement and posture. Patrick provides tips for remembering these muscles, such as visualizing the trapezius as a trapezoid and associating the latissimus dorsi with its wide span across the back.
đ€Č Muscles of the Chest and Arm Movement
The second paragraph delves into the muscles of the chest and the movements of the arm. Patrick discusses the pectoralis major and minor, which are key to the chest's structure, and the serratus anterior, identifiable by its serrated pattern and role in arm movement. Intercostal muscles, located between the ribs, are also mentioned. The paragraph then shifts to the shoulder joint, highlighting the deltoid muscle and the four muscles of the rotator cuff, including the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis. The teres major is also introduced as a muscle with significant leverage in arm movement, likened to the powerful latissimus dorsi.
đȘ Anatomy of the Upper Arm
This paragraph provides a detailed look at the muscles of the upper arm, focusing on their Latin-derived names and functions. Patrick explains the biceps brachii, the two-headed muscle, and the triceps brachii, the three-headed muscle, as well as the coracobrachialis and brachioradialis, which connect different parts of the upper limb. The brachialis is identified as a muscle that can be remembered by process of elimination. A small muscle, the anconeus, which assists in elbow extension, is also mentioned, characterized by its location at the tip of an imaginary cone made by the arm.
đ€ Forearm and Hand Muscles Detailed
The complexity of the forearm and hand muscles is the focus of this paragraph. Patrick describes the numerous muscles that contribute to hand dexterity, including the flexor carpi radialis and ulnaris, palmaris longus, pronator teres and quadratus, and the flexor and extensor muscles of the fingers. Special attention is given to the flexor pollicis longus, crucial for thumb movement. The paragraph also covers the muscles of the thenar and hypothenar eminences, which move the thumb and little finger, respectively, and the unique functions of the lumbricals and interossei muscles, which allow for finger abduction and adduction.
đ Kenhub Resource and Learning Tools
The final paragraph highlights the educational resources provided by Kenhub, which Patrick uses for research and anatomy knowledge enhancement. He praises their articles, atlas of muscles, and in-depth videos covering various anatomy topics. Patrick also endorses Kenhub's quiz feature, which allows for custom quizzes and provides feedback on areas needing improvement. A discount is offered for premium subscription access to all Kenhub's learning content and quizzes, along with a seven-day money-back guarantee. The paragraph concludes with an invitation to subscribe and engage with the video content.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄSkeletal Muscles
đĄTrapezius
đĄLatissimus Dorsi
đĄRhomboid Major and Minor
đĄLevator Scapulae
đĄPectoralis Major and Minor
đĄSerratus Anterior
đĄIntercostal Muscles
đĄDeltoid
đĄRotator Cuff
đĄBrachii Muscles
đĄCoracobrachialis
đĄBrachioradialis
đĄBrachialis
đĄAnconeus
Highlights
Patrick introduces a method to remember the skeletal muscles of the upper limb for anatomy students.
The lesson is divided into manageable sections of 4 to 8 muscles, with timestamps provided for easy reference.
The trapezius muscle is described as a large muscle originating from the base of the skull to the lowest thoracic vertebrae.
Latissimus dorsi, the widest muscle in the body, is explained with its Latin name breakdown.
Rhomboid major and minor muscles are distinguished by their shape and location relative to the spine.
Levator scapulae muscle is identified by its unique attachment from high in the neck to the top of the scapula.
Pectoralis major and minor muscles are differentiated by their size and attachment points.
Serratus anterior muscle is characterized by its serrated pattern and function in punching movements.
Intercostal muscles are named for their location between the ribs, with a brief mention of a related video.
Deltoid muscle is named for its triangular shape, resembling the Greek letter delta.
The rotator cuff muscles are explained with mnemonics based on their anatomical landmarks.
Teres major muscle is distinguished from teres minor by its origin and function, relating to the latissimus dorsi.
Biceps brachii and triceps brachii are introduced with their Latin names explaining the number of heads.
Coracobrachialis and brachioradialis muscles are named for their attachment points and functions.
Brachialis muscle is identified as the remaining upper arm muscle after process of elimination.
Anconeus muscle is remembered for its location as the tip of a cone-shaped arm.
Flexor and extensor muscles of the forearm are detailed with a focus on their Latin roots and functions.
Pronator teres and pronator quadratus muscles are differentiated by their shapes and actions.
Flexor and extensor muscles of the hand are associated with their actions and anatomical regions.
Thenar and hypothenar muscles are highlighted for their roles in thumb and pinky movements, respectively.
Lumbrical and interossei muscles are explained for their unique actions in finger movement.
Kenhub is recommended as a resource for anatomy learning, with a special offer for the audience.
Transcripts
this video was sponsored by kenhub more on them at the end of the video hello and welcome my name is Â
patrick and in this video i'll teach you some of my tips and tricks for remembering all the Â
skeletal muscles of the upper limb that you would see in an anatomy class and to make this lesson Â
more manageable for beginners i'll present the list in smaller chunks of 4 to 8 muscles Â
you can find a list of the sections and the time stamps in the description below and with that Â
out of the way let's get into the muscles a few of the muscles that control movement of the arm start Â
all the way back on the spine so for our first chunk we'll talk about the muscles that people Â
usually refer to when they say it's back day the trapezius is this big muscle that inserts on the Â
scapula and clavicle but originates all the way from the base of the skull to the lowest thoracic Â
vertebrae sometimes you'll see this described especially in the fitness world as the upper Â
middle and lower trap muscles but it's important to remember that they all make up a single muscle Â
different sections of it just have different angles of fibers so this one muscle can move the Â
shoulder in multiple ways but it's still a single muscle the easiest way to remember this one is by Â
looking at both sides of the muscle together it looks like a trapezoid which gives it its Â
name trapezius the other big superficial muscle is the latissimus dorsi often just referred to as the Â
lats it's the widest muscle in the body spanning from shoulder to shoulder and from the thoracic Â
vertebrae down to the bottom of the sacrum and all of those fibers meet up to insert on the humerus Â
if the lat's name doesn't stick for you then you can use the latin naming conventions of this Â
muscle latissimus refers to how lateral these muscles are and dorsi refers to its location Â
on the back just like the dorsal fin of a dolphin if we cut away the superficial trapezius muscles Â
we'd see three more muscles that originate on the spine and move the shoulder blade the Â
rhomboid major and rhomboid minor both originate on the spine and insert on the scapula helping Â
us retract our shoulder blades and maintain good posture the rhomboid major is rhomboid shaped as Â
the name implies but the rhomboid minor is really more cylindrical in real life my tip for this Â
one is to identify rhomboid major first then look right above it for its little buddy rhomboid minor Â
also people tend to mix up the rhomboid major and the serratus posterior superior muscle yeah Â
they're in similar spots but the rhomboid is more superficial while the sps is deep the other big Â
cue is the shape the rhomboid has those straight geometric edges while the serratus has serrated or Â
jagged attachment finally a muscle we talked about in the neck unit the levator scapulae which does Â
exactly what you think it elevates the scapula but be careful there are lots of neck muscles in this Â
area that run superior to inferior the levator scapulae will be the only one that attaches Â
vertebrae way high in the neck to the top of the scapula the next chunk includes the muscles of the Â
chest and you probably know the root for this one already pectoralis the big familiar one on top is Â
the pectoralis major literally meaning big chest muscle but underneath that is the pectoralis minor Â
it follows a similar path to the pec major but doesn't extend all the way to the sternum and Â
is clearly much smaller hence pec minor as we move inferiorly we see this cool looking muscle Â
called the serratus anterior named so because its jagged pattern makes it look serrated or Â
sawtooth like a bread knife for those who like to find these muscles with touch you can feel both Â
your pec major and your serratus interior contract when you punch forward with a straight arm Â
your pec is easy to feel but you may have to press a little harder near your armpits to feel your sa Â
finally the intercostal muscles are between each rib costal is the latin root for rib so Â
intercostal literally translates to between the ribs see this video if you want a little more Â
info on those the next big chunk is the shoulder joint most of the muscles that move the joint Â
made of the glenoid fossa and the head of the humerus the glenohumeral joint the biggest and Â
most superficial is the deltoid named because it looks like the greek letter delta a triangle once Â
you peel away the deltoid you'll find the four muscles of the rotator cuff what i learned as the Â
sits muscles the first three the s-i and t can be easily found on the posterior side of the scapula Â
and use the big bony landmarks to find their name the supraspinatus is superior to the spine Â
of the scapula while the infraspinatus is inferior to the spine of the scapula Â
meanwhile the teres minor makes an angle with each humerus that looks kind of like an m for teres Â
minor finally the subscapularis the s in the sitz groups literally means under the scapula if you Â
think of the scapula like a rock you could pick it up turn it over and if you looked under the rock Â
that's where this muscle would be the last muscle of the shoulder chunk is the teres major which Â
takes a similar path to the teres minor but as the name implies something about it is bigger Â
and actually i don't bother looking at its size i look at its position it originates further down Â
the scapula and further down the humerus which means that this thing has some leverage that Â
the teres minor doesn't have in fact the teres major is more like the powerful latissimus dorsi Â
your pull-up muscle than it is like a rotator cuff muscle so the teres major is a major mover of the Â
arm the muscles of the upper arm are a crash course in latin names and as long as you know Â
the regional term brachii for upper arm everything else is intuitive you probably already know the Â
biceps brachii the two-headed muscle of the upper arm and the triceps brachii the three-headed Â
muscle we got brachii to denote the upper arm and the by and try to denote the number of heads Â
or seps the coracobrachialis straight up tells you what it does it attaches the coracoid process of Â
the shoulder blade to the upper arm likewise the brachioradialis connects the humerus the upper Â
arm bone to the radius there's also the brachialis the stubbiest of elbow flexors honestly i just use Â
the process of elimination to remember this one the biceps and brachioradialis had more intuitive Â
names so the last upper arm muscle has to be the brachialis finally there's a small muscle on the Â
back side of the arm that extends the elbow a little bit it's called the anconeus it's not Â
as powerful as the tricep so it's a wee accessory muscle at this point i remember this one because Â
if you make a cone out of your arm the very tip is the anconeus i hope you enjoyed the simplicity Â
in this chunk because the next two are uh more involved you could say like look at this forearm Â
all of our human hand dexterity comes at the price of having a lot of tiny muscles and anatomists Â
didn't want to give them all fun whimsical names they get names like the flexor carpi radialis Â
what's it do it flexes the carpi or hand and it's on the side nearest your radius the flexor carpi Â
ulnaris it does the same thing but on your ulnar side anatomists gave them intuitive names but that Â
concentrates a lot of multi-syllable muscle names into the forearm take the palmaris longus a small Â
muscle with a long tendon that inserts at the base of the palm for that palmaris part fun fact Â
quite a few people don't have this muscle on one of their two hands and some people don't have it Â
at all i made a video all about that which you can check out here the pronator teres has a long but Â
straightforward action name it pronates the arm pivoting your hand down you can actually palpate Â
it easily if you put your finger in front of your medial epicondyle and pronate your hand the other Â
pronator is a square-shaped muscle all the way down at your wrist its action pronation and Â
square shape quadratus give us the name pronator quadratus these other muscles also use action Â
plus anatomical region like the flexor digitorum superficialis it flexes the digitorum or fingers Â
primarily at the proximal interphalangeal joint this knuckle closest to your wrist here you have Â
plenty of other muscles to flex and extend the small interphalangeal joints but we'll get to Â
those later now as the name implies if there's a superficial then there's a deep or what anatomists Â
call profundus when we're talking about hand muscles so the flexor digitorum profundus is also Â
a finger flexor but it's deep to the superficial version finally there's a special latin root for Â
thumb it's called pollux so the flexor pollicis longus is a long muscle that bends the thumb Â
considering how important it is to be able to bend your thumb to grip anything it makes sense that Â
this muscle would have such a big muscle belly now just like the anterior forearm the posterior Â
side has superficial and deep sections luckily they follow the same predictable naming patterns Â
we'll start from the outside in the anterior arm had all the flexors so the posterior side has all Â
the extensors most of the time that leaves us with mirror opposites like the extensor carpi ulnaris Â
which follows the same convention it extends the wrist joint and inserts on the ulnar side Â
or the extensor carpi radialis longus same thing it extends the wrist and inserts on the radial Â
side and while this one is a longus there's also an extensor carpe radialis brevis that follows Â
the same rules it's just shorter this muscle is the extensor digitorum which extends the fingers Â
it's got a big muscle belly on the forearm and inserts on the dorsal side of the hand Â
likewise the extensor digiti minimi extends a finger but adorably only the tiniest most Â
minimal finger the pinky and you can feel all of these too if you put your arm down on the table Â
you'll feel the different muscles pop up for the whole hand or just the fingers or just the pinky Â
it's a great technique to come back to if you're ever lost on a test when we go a little deeper we Â
see more action-specific names and the pinky isn't the only finger with its own dedicated muscle the Â
extensor indices starts on the ulnar side of the forearm and is solely responsible for extending Â
the index finger or forefinger then there's the thumb again if you spread out your fingers you'll Â
notice a bunch of tendons around the thumb which are sometimes called the anatomical snuff box Â
because you could put some cocaine there and snuff it a lot clive owen's character in the Â
nick but there's an anatomic significance too this snuff box is made of the tendons Â
that extend and abduct the thumb and these long tendonous muscles originate on the forearm itself Â
those muscles are the abductor pollicus longus extensor polycast longus and extensor polycus Â
brevis and you'll notice that these muscles insert at different points on the thumb which helps us Â
identify them the abductor inserts on the thumb's metacarpal and has this almost diagonal pull to it Â
whereas the extensors both longus and brevis cross over the top of the carpe metacarpal joint at the Â
base of the thumb the abductor pulls sideways the extensors pull up from there the difference Â
between extensor policus longus and brevis is just the size finally we already saw the pronator Â
muscles on the anterior forearm so the muscle that performs the opposite motion must be on Â
the posterior forearm and it is the supinator muscle is found all the way up at the elbow Â
sprawling across the ulna radius and a bit of the humerus too here's how i remember this one Â
all of the other muscles of the forearm control the hand and you can tell because they have long Â
tendons that insert at the hand but the supinator only really interacts with the two forearm bones Â
so supination is the only thing that it can do the next chunk is the thenar mass a group of Â
four short muscles that make up the fleshy mass of your palm collectively they're special muscles Â
that move the thumb and their names reflect that because the muscles are named after their actions Â
my biggest advice is to know your movement terms and look at the angle of pull the flexor policus Â
brevis originates at some of the carpal bones and inserts on the first phalanx and thumb flexion Â
looks similar to thumb opposition bringing the thumb and pinky together because of that Â
relationship the muscle responsible for opposition is called the opponent's pollicis and is directly Â
underneath the flexor in reality both of these muscles work together when curling the thumb like Â
during writing so it's hard to say that like this muscle just does this action the next muscle gets Â
another movement name the adductor pollicis for this one you just need to know that thumb flexion Â
is more of a bending while thumb adduction is like bringing your thumb parallel to the other fingers Â
from there you can see how the adductor pollicis just brings the thumb towards the midline finally Â
the abductor pollicis brevis is the odd one out it abducts the thumb bringing it away from the palm Â
so it runs from the medial carpels to the dorsal side of the thumb and has this giant muscle belly Â
just slopped along the metacarpal look at it there's no way that muscle is bringing the thumb Â
toward the midline it must be an abductor also pro tip you can palpate the abductor relax your thumb Â
put your finger on the thenar mass abduct your thumb and it'll pop up so at this point we've Â
covered a lot of those hand and finger muscles but there are still a handful left we had athenar mass Â
of muscles that control the thumb but we also have the hypothenar mass made of muscles that move the Â
pinky remember how we said that opposition is touching the thumb to the pinky well it takes Â
two muscles to tingle to finger tango what i'm trying to say is that the opponent's digitized Â
minimi is responsible for opposing the pinky thus completing the motion of opposition it's easy to Â
see given its diagonal path especially when you contrast that to the flexor digitized minimize Â
brevis which pulls directly parallel to the pinky which curls or flexes it and it's a short guy so Â
brevis the last in the hypothenar mass is the abductor digiti minimi this hearty slab Â
of muscle on the medial side of the hand which abducts the pinky no surprises there now there's Â
another misfit muscle near the hypothenar group called the palmaris brevis it hooks up to a band Â
of connective tissue called the palmer aponeuresis and despite its location it doesn't have anything Â
to do with moving the pinky it actually pulls on the connecting tissue which lets our hand maintain Â
a strong grip it's a short muscle connected to the palm hence palmaris brevis finally there are Â
a few muscles found directly between the fingers that let us spread or bring our fingers together Â
the lumbricals are tiny muscles that originate on tendons on the palmer side of your hand and insert Â
on structures at the phalanges called the extensor expansions and the fact that they cross multiple Â
joints and twist around from palm to dorsum gives them a unique action they flex the carpometacarpal Â
joints and extend the interphalangeal joint giving us a hand that looks like an l luckily that helps Â
us remember the name its action gives you an l for lumbrical the last two are the interossei muscles Â
literally translating to between bones in this case they're between the metacarpals Â
the palmar interossei adduct the fingers or bring them together while the dorsal interossei abduct Â
the fingers or spread them apart unfortunately they look super similar so i use the mnemonic Â
pad dab to remember them polymer causes adduction while dorsal causes abduction Â
fun fact the only reason that spock can do the vulcan greeting is because of these muscles it Â
involves both finger adduction and abduction now these are just the tricks that i personally use Â
to remember these muscles but if you want another great resource for learning anatomy then you need Â
to check out kenhub i use them all the time when researching and writing these videos and for this Â
series in particular their written articles and atlas of muscles have been extremely helpful in Â
refreshing my knowledge of some of those deeper smaller muscles they've also got an enormous Â
library of in-depth videos about muscles histology vasculature nerves and everything else you'd need Â
to know in anatomy class all those beautiful illustrations that you saw in this video came Â
from them and in addition to their library of content i also love kenhub's quiz feature Â
they allow you to build custom quizzes with different difficulties and they give you feedback Â
so you can figure out where your weaknesses are you can use most of kenhub's features for free but Â
if you want full access to all of their learning content and quizzes then go to khub dot me slash Â
corporis to get 10 off your subscription they've also got a no questions asked seven day money back Â
guarantee so you can try out the premium version for seven days and if you don't like it get your Â
money back if you want to see the next video in the muscle memorization series then check out this Â
playlist here otherwise subscribe leave a like on the video have fun be good thanks for watching
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