Teres Minor Of A Male As, Posterior View

Description

Positioned along the posterior scapula, the teres minor occupies the upper lateral border of the scapular body, lying inferior to the infraspinatus muscle belly and superior to the teres major. Its fibers course laterally and slightly superiorly toward the proximal humerus, inserting on the inferior facet of the greater tubercle and blending with the posterior rotator cuff capsule. Nearby bony landmarks that orient the viewer include the scapular spine and acromion superiorly, the lateral border of the scapula medially, and the glenohumeral joint line just lateral to the glenoid. Clear relationships. Clinically, this posterior perspective matters because teres minor function often separates axillary nerve lesions from isolated suprascapular neuropathy: both can weaken external rotation, but isolated suprascapular injury typically spares teres minor while affecting infraspinatus. Surgeons also track teres minor when working around the quadrangular space (bounded by teres minor superiorly and teres major inferiorly), where the axillary nerve and posterior circumflex humeral artery travel and can be compressed or injured during posterior shoulder approaches. For cuff teaching, teres minor’s pull vector explains why it stabilizes the humeral head posteriorly during abduction and resists anterior translation. Use this asset in shoulder anatomy modules for gross anatomy and kinesiology, in orthopedic and sports medicine lectures on rotator cuff tears and nerve entrapment patterns, or as a figure in operative planning texts describing posterior deltoid-splitting approaches and safe zones around the quadrangular space. It also reads well in patient education materials that need a precise external rotator identified against the scapula and humerus. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.