Infraspinous Fascia in a Male's Body

Description

Posterior shoulder anatomy is rendered with the scapula in dorsal view, the spine of the scapula dividing the supraspinous fossa superiorly from the infraspinous fossa inferiorly. The infraspinous fascia forms an aponeurotic sheet spanning from the medial border toward the lateral border, blending with the scapular spine superiorly and enclosing the infraspinatus muscle belly deep to it, with teres minor running inferolaterally along the lateral border. Laterally, the fascia and muscle converge toward the greater tubercle of the humerus at the rotator cuff footprint, deep to the posterior deltoid. Functionally, the infraspinous fascia matters because it defines the posterior compartment boundaries and helps organize the glide plane between deltoid and the rotator cuff, a region explored in posterior shoulder approaches and in the workup of rotator cuff disease. Infraspinatus tendinopathy and full thickness tears at the greater tubercle often present with weakness in external rotation, and appreciating the fascia and fiber direction helps correlate exam findings with ultrasound or MRI where the infraspinatus muscle belly and myotendinous junction are scrutinized. A clean posterior scapular view also clarifies how scapular spine and infraspinous fossa constrain muscle bulk in atrophy from suprascapular neuropathy. Use this artwork in gross anatomy and kinesiology teaching to explain rotator cuff layering, scapular surface anatomy, and aponeurotic coverings of the posterior shoulder. It also fits operative atlases and patient education materials discussing posterior arthroscopic portals, rotator cuff repair, or scapular pain syndromes where pinpointing infraspinatus location and fascial planes reduces ambiguity. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.