Fractured Scapula, Posterior View

Description

Posterior shoulder anatomy is centered on the scapula, with a fracture line interrupting the medial border and extending toward the inferior angle. The scapular spine runs transversely to the acromion laterally, while the glenoid cavity sits anterolaterally and receives the humeral head to form the glenohumeral joint. Superiorly, the distal clavicle meets the acromion at the acromioclavicular joint, and the fracture region lies medial to this complex, nearer the vertebral column than the humerus. Disruption at the inferior angle sits inferior to the infraspinous fossa and posteromedial to the proximal humerus. Scapular fractures are uncommon and usually reflect high-energy trauma, so this posterior perspective helps you communicate mechanism, displacement, and likely associated injuries. A break near the medial border and inferior angle raises the teaching point of muscular traction and avulsion patterns, with serratus anterior, teres major, and latissimus dorsi influencing fragment position and scapulothoracic mechanics. It also frames what can be missed when attention stays on the glenohumeral joint, including altered acromial relationship and secondary rotator cuff dysfunction from pain inhibition rather than primary tendon rupture. High-energy injury. Think ribs and lung. Use this artwork in orthopedic trauma lectures, anatomy practicals covering the shoulder girdle, and publisher-ready figures that pair scapular fracture patterns with posterior surgical exposure concepts (for example, the Judet approach) and radiographic correlation on scapular Y and axillary views. It also suits patient education materials that need an accurate shoulder blade (scapula) fracture location relative to the clavicle, acromion, and humeral head. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.