Posterior Surface Of The Humerus, Anatomy

Description

Posterior humerus anatomy is centered on the shaft’s spiral (radial) groove, a shallow oblique sulcus running inferolaterally across the mid-diaphysis in a fixed posterior view. Proximal to this, the lateral surface blends toward the deltoid tuberosity, while the medial shaft remains smoother as it approaches the medial supracondylar ridge. Distally, the posterior surface widens into the triangular area above the elbow, where the olecranon fossa lies centrally between the medial and lateral epicondyles, continuous with the supracondylar crests. Landmarks read cleanly. Clinical interest in the posterior humeral shaft comes from the intimate relationship between the radial groove and the radial nerve with the profunda brachii artery, a pairing classically endangered in midshaft fractures, including the Holstein-Lewis pattern near the distal third. That risk is not academic; posterior shaft callus, plating corridors, and iatrogenic traction during open reduction can all place the nerve at hazard, with wrist and finger extension weakness as the headline deficit. The isolated bony surface also helps you teach orientation at the elbow, since the olecranon fossa on the posterior side contrasts with the coronoid and radial fossae on the anterior distal humerus. Use this illustration in upper limb osteology labs, fracture conferences discussing radial nerve palsy, and operative anatomy figures for posterior and posterolateral approaches to the humeral shaft and distal humerus. It also suits exam materials that ask learners to identify the radial groove, supracondylar ridges, and olecranon fossa from a single posterior perspective. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.