Abstract
The pectoralis major muscle is a powerful adductor of the arm, and also assists in internal rotation and flexion at the shoulder joint. It consists of sternocostal and clavicular heads, which converge on the upper humerus lateral to the bicipital groove. The tendinous portion consists of two laminae, the posterior portion of which twists upon itself thus producing the rounded appearance of the anterior axillary fold. Tendinopathy or rupture is more often in athletes who do bench-press type exercises. After total rupture there is an approximate 20–50 % reduction in peak isokinetic torque strength. Therefore, in athletes the treatment is surgical reinsertion of the tendon to its anatomical footprint.
Of less functional significance is the small triangular pectoralis minor muscle, but has been implicated in etiology of frozen shoulder.
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de Castro Pochini, A. et al. (2015). Pectoralis Major and Minor Muscles. In: Bain, G., Itoi, E., Di Giacomo, G., Sugaya, H. (eds) Normal and Pathological Anatomy of the Shoulder. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-45719-1_30
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-45719-1_30
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