The Pectoral Girdle Consists Of:

The pectoral girdle, also known as the shoulder girdle, is the ready of bones that connects the arm to the rest of the skeleton. It provides support and stabilization to let the shoulder to move. The joints of the pectoral girdle can become damaged later on injury or repetitive overuse of the shoulder.

Anatomy

The pectoral girdle provides the main structural back up for the shoulder joint. The pectoral girdle consists of ii bones:

Clavicle or collar bone
Scapula or shoulder bract

These bones of the pectoral girdle grade several joints, including:

Acromioclavicular (AC) joint: The acromioclavicular joint forms between the acromion of the scapula and the clavicle at the top of the shoulder.
Sternoclavicular joint: The sternoclavicular joint forms between the sternum (breastbone) and clavicle at the front of the chest.
Scapulothoracic joint: The scapulothoracic joint forms between the medial border (inner edge) of the scapula and the thoracic vertebrae of the upper spine.

Office

The pectoral girdle connects the arm to the rest of the skeleton and provides back up and stabilization to allow the shoulder to move.

The scapula provides the primary structural support for the shoulder and can motion in half dozen different directions. These are protraction and retraction (forwards and backward movement) elevation and depression (up and down movement) and upward rotation and downward rotation.

Without proper motility of the scapula, the ball in the socket of the shoulder articulation cannot movement properly, which can consequence in disorders like shoulder impingement and bursitis.

Muscles that attach to the scapula and control proper movement include the trapezius (upper, heart, and lower fibers), rhomboids (major and minor), levator scapulae, serratus anterior, and pectoralis small-scale.

The scapula also serves as an attachment site for muscles that move the shoulder and arm, including the four rotator cuff muscles (subscapularis, supraspinous, infraspinatus, and teres minor), deltoid, biceps brachii, triceps brachii, teres major, coracobrachialis, and latissimus dorsi.

The omohyoid muscle that controls the hyoid bone of the cervix also attaches to the scapula. There are a total of 17 different muscles that attach to the scapula.

The clavicle is an elongated bone with a slight South-shaped curve that sits in between the shoulder and sternum at the pinnacle of the ribcage. It is the most ofttimes fractured bone in the body.

The clavicle provides structural support betwixt the shoulder and residue of the skeleton, and has a pocket-size caste of motility into elevation and depression, protraction and retraction, and rotation. The deltoid, trapezius, sternocleidomastoid, pectoralis major, and subclavius muscles all attach to the clavicle for support.

Associated Weather

The basic and joints of the pectoral girdle can go damaged from injury or repetitive overuse of the shoulder. Mutual conditions associated with the pectoral girdle include:

Acromioclavicular (Ac) Joint Sprain or Separation

Trauma to the acromioclavicular articulation such every bit a direct blow to the front of the shoulder or falling and landing on an outstretched hand can injure the ligaments holding the acromion and clavicle together.

This can outcome in either an acromioclavicular joint sprain or separation of the joint. Symptoms include hurting localized specifically at the acromioclavicular joint at the top of the shoulder.

Clavicle Fracture (Broken Collarbone)

Injury to the shoulder, especially straight trauma to the front of the shoulder, can crusade the clavicle to fracture. Symptoms include pain at the clavicle and shoulder besides as pain and difficulty with moving the arm.

Sternoclavicular Joint Sprain or Dislocation

The sternoclavicular joint, formed betwixt the clavicle and sternum, or chest bone, can go dislocated with injury to the front of the shoulder, causing pain and swelling around the injured area.

Distal Clavicle Osteolysis (Weightlifter's Shoulder)

The finish of the clavicle, or distal portion, that forms the acromioclavicular joint can become irritated and inflamed. Osteolysis, or bone degeneration, can easily occur at the end of the clavicle due to the high caste of stress and repetitive forces placed through the small surface expanse of the acromioclavicular joint, specially with heavy lifting such every bit the bench press or military press.

The bone begins to intermission down at a faster rate than it is able to heal and form new bone cells. Sharp pain unremarkably occurs with overhead and pushing movements of the arm and shoulder with a ho-hum ache at rest.

Acromioclavicular (AC) Joint Arthritis

Increased aging and repetitive overuse of the shoulder can lead to degeneration of cartilage and the development of arthritis within the acromioclavicular joint, causing inflammation within the shoulder and pain with arm movements.

Winged Scapula

A winged scapula occurs when the medial edge, or inner edge, lifts upwardly away from the scapulothoracic joint. This produces an extrusion of the shoulder bract on the back of the body that becomes more prominent when lifting the arm overhead.

A winged scapula tin can result from weakness of the serratus anterior musculus that holds the scapula in place confronting the thoracic spine or from injury to the long thoracic nerve, and tin consequence in arm weakness and decreased range of motion.

Rehabilitation

Depending on the extent of your status, rehabilitation for conditions associated with the pectoral girdle include the following:

Medications: Hurting-relieving and anti-inflammatory medications can temporarily be used to manage symptoms later on injury to the pectoral girdle.
Cortisone injections: Cortisone tin be injected into the acromioclavicular joint to help subtract pain and inflammation.
Residual: Avoiding activities that cause increased symptoms for associated conditions of the pectoral girdle is oftentimes necessary to permit time for inflammation to decrease and for injured joints to heal. Overhead movements and pulling, pushing, and lifting should exist avoided.
Immobilization: It may exist necessary to wearable a shoulder sling to protect the joints of the pectoral girdle after an injury. For acromioclavicular and sternoclavicular articulation sprains or dislocations, you lot may need to clothing a shoulder sling for two to six weeks depending on the severity of the injury.
Concrete therapy: Physical therapy tin can assist rehabilitate the pectoral girdle after injury to decrease pain, restore range of motion and proper joint mobility, and strengthen the muscles around the shoulders and shoulder blades.

Arthroscopic Surgery

Arthroscopic surgery of the shoulder is commonly performed for active patients with distal clavicular osteolysis who wish to resume weightlifting and athletic activities without hurting.

A distal clavicle resection is often performed where a small portion of the cease of the clavicle that has become inflamed is removed to increase the space in the acromioclavicular joint and reduce joint compression and degeneration.

Arthroscopic surgery may likewise be performed to manage symptoms of acromioclavicular joint arthritis when other handling methods have failed to salvage pain.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts inside our articles. Read our editorial process to acquire more virtually how we fact-check and proceed our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Hansen, JT. Chapter 7; Upper Limb. In Hansen JT, ed. Netter'south Clinical Anatomy 3rd ed. Saunders/Elsevier; 2014:347-352..
Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publishing. Shoulder sprain.
Infirmary for Special Surgery. Osteolysis.
American University of Orthopedic Surgeons. OrthoInfo. Scapular (shoulder blade) disorders.

Past Kristen Gasnick, PT, DPT
Kristen Gasnick, PT, DPT, is a medical writer and a physical therapist at Holy Name Medical Heart in New Jersey.

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