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The latissimus dorsi, commonly known as lats, are the flat triangular back muscles located below the shoulder blade and to the left and right of the spine. The lats are the largest muscles on the back and are essential for everyday movement and everyday life. The primary function of the lats is in the upper extremity, but they are also considered accessory breathing muscles. The latissimus dorsi muscles are involved in several actions, including extension, adduction, internal rotation of the shoulder joint, and lateral flexion of the lumbar spine. They are also active during deep inspiration and forceful expiration.
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What You'll Learn
The latissimus dorsi is an extrinsic muscle of the shoulder
The latissimus dorsi is a broad, flat muscle that covers the majority of the lower posterior thorax. The name "latissimus dorsi" comes from Latin and means "broadest of the back". The muscle is also referred to as the “lats”, especially among bodybuilders.
The latissimus dorsi is innervated by the sixth, seventh, and eighth cervical nerves through the thoracodorsal nerve. It assists in the depression of the arm, along with the teres major and pectoralis major muscles. When the arms are in a fixed overhead position, the latissimus dorsi pulls the trunk upward and forward. This muscle is particularly active during activities such as climbing, rowing, swimming, and chopping.
The latissimus dorsi is an important muscle for overall fitness and health. Training this muscle can provide benefits for everyday movement and activities. It is also used in surgical procedures, such as breast reconstruction surgery after mastectomy or to correct pectoral hypoplastic defects. Injuries to the latissimus dorsi are rare but can occur, especially in baseball pitchers.
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It is a climbing, rowing, and swimming muscle
The latissimus dorsi, commonly known as the "lats", are a pair of muscles that extend across the middle and lower back. They are responsible for several functions, including extension, adduction, transverse extension, flexion from an extended position, and internal rotation of the shoulder joint. They also play a role in the extension and lateral flexion of the lumbar spine.
The latissimus dorsi are crucial for climbing, rowing, and swimming. During climbing activities such as pull-ups or rows, the latissimus dorsi are heavily recruited, along with the trapezius muscles. This muscle group is essential for providing the strength and power needed to pull oneself up during climbing.
For rowing, the latissimus dorsi are engaged during each stroke, providing an effective workout for the upper back. The recovery phase of rowing also involves the arms, body, and legs, in that order. The drive phase, on the other hand, involves pushing with the legs and pulling with the arms simultaneously, with the core engaged to brace the body.
In swimming, the latissimus dorsi play a vital role in all strokes, including the butterfly and front crawl. They help maintain balance and provide propulsion, increasing the distance per stroke. Additionally, the chest muscles, including the pectoralis major, work in tandem with the latissimus dorsi and shoulder muscles to maximize swimming efficiency.
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It is a source of muscle for breast reconstruction surgery
The latissimus dorsi is a large, flat muscle that covers the lower back and is one of the muscles of the scapular motion. It is responsible for the internal rotation, adduction, and extension of the arm, as well as assisting with deep inspiration and forced expiration. The latissimus dorsi is also an accessory muscle of inspiration and expiration, helping with coughing and sneezing.
The name "latissimus dorsi" comes from Latin and means "broadest of the back". The muscle is commonly known as the "lats", especially among bodybuilders.
The latissimus dorsi is a potential source of muscle for breast reconstruction surgery, particularly after a mastectomy. This procedure is known as a latissimus dorsi flap (LDF) and was first described in 1906 by Iginio Tansini, although it did not gain popularity until the 1970s. The LDF is often used in delayed or salvage surgery, and it is particularly useful for patients who are not candidates for other types of reconstruction, such as those with previous abdominoplasty, prior TRAM, insufficient abdominal skin or fat, or high-risk comorbidities such as diabetes, obesity, or tobacco use. The LDF can also be used to correct partial mastectomy or lumpectomy defects, augment thin or unreliable skin flaps over an implant, or improve the aesthetic outcome of a prophylactic mastectomy.
During the LDF procedure, the surgeon takes the latissimus dorsi muscle from the patient's back and tunnels it under the skin, moving it below the armpit to the front of the body to create a new breast shape. They may also take some skin and fat with the muscle. The muscle is removed from its attachment to the lower back but left attached to the upper arm to maintain its blood supply.
After breast reconstruction surgery using the latissimus dorsi muscle, patients will need to do exercises to regain their range of motion. It is important to build up these exercises gradually, starting with gentle movements and slowly increasing the difficulty over several weeks. Most patients can use their affected arm normally up to shoulder height for light activities from the day after surgery.
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It is one of the main stabilisers of the spine
The latissimus dorsi muscle is a large, flat muscle that occupies the majority of the lower posterior thorax. It is one of the main stabilisers of the spine and is attached to the lumbar and sacral spinous processes (T6 to S5 levels) through the thoracolumbar fascia. The latissimus dorsi also attaches to the supraspinous ligament, the posterior iliac crest, the lower three to four ribs, and the inferior angle of the scapula. The muscle fibres are oriented in different directions, with the uppermost fibres being almost horizontal and the lower fibres being more vertical.
The primary function of the latissimus dorsi muscle is to move the upper extremity, but it also plays a role in respiration as an accessory muscle. It is involved in the internal rotation, adduction, and extension of the arm, as well as the depression of the arm with the help of the teres major and pectoralis major muscles. When the arms are fixed in an overhead position, the latissimus dorsi pulls the trunk upward and forward, as in climbing or performing a chin-up.
The latissimus dorsi is also active during deep inspiration and forceful expiration, assisting in coughing and sneezing. It is considered a climbing, rowing, and swimming muscle due to its ability to stabilise the scapula against the thoracic cage during humeral movements on the shoulder joint. In individuals using crutches, the latissimus dorsi helps pull the trunk forward by fixing the humerus. This movement also results in pelvis lifting, enabling trunk and pelvis movement in people with paraplegia.
The strength and flexibility of the latissimus dorsi are important for everyday movement and can be trained through various exercises. Tightness in this muscle can contribute to chronic shoulder and back pain. Injuries to the latissimus dorsi are rare but tend to occur in baseball pitchers. Assessment of this muscle is crucial for patients with upper extremity pathology, and it may be implicated in motion restrictions of abduction, flexion, and lateral rotation.
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It assists with the breathing process
The latissimus dorsi muscles, commonly known as "lats", are triangular back muscles located below the shoulder blade and to the left and right of the spine. They are considered accessory respiratory muscles, assisting with the breathing process by enhancing the movements of the trunk during inhalation and exhalation.
During inhalation, the latissimus dorsi muscles lift and expand the circumference of the rib cage, which may increase the volume of air that enters the lungs. This action is achieved by the elevation of the ribs. The latissimus dorsi are active during deep inspiration, as seen in activities such as climbing or performing a chin-up with the arms fixed above the head.
During exhalation, the latissimus dorsi muscles help decrease the circumference of the trunk, which may result in squeezing more air out of the lungs. This action is achieved by depressing the ribs. The latissimus dorsi are also involved in forceful respiratory functions, such as coughing and sneezing, and assist as a muscle of forced expiration.
The latissimus dorsi muscles have a broad attachment to several vertebral spinous processes, the thoracolumbar fascia, and the lower ribs. This attachment pattern allows the muscles to influence trunk movement during breathing and provides stability to the spine.
In summary, the latissimus dorsi muscles assist with the breathing process by expanding the rib cage during inhalation and contracting it during exhalation, enhancing the efficiency of respiration and ensuring adequate air intake and expulsion.
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Frequently asked questions
The latissimus dorsi muscles, or "lats", are the large, flat, triangular back muscles located below the shoulder blade and to the left and right of the spine.
The dorsi muscles are involved in the extension, adduction, transverse extension (also known as horizontal abduction), flexion from an extended position, and medial internal rotation of the shoulder joint. They also play a role in the extension and lateral flexion of the lumbar spine. The dorsi muscles help stabilise the back during shoulder movements and assist with the breathing process.
The dorsi muscles can be strengthened through various exercises such as pull-downs, pull-ups, bent-over rows, dumbbell rows, and swimming.
