The Morphological Structure of the Teres Minor Muscle of a Male

Description

Running along the lateral border of the scapula, the teres minor appears as a narrow rotator cuff muscle positioned inferior to the infraspinatus and superior to the teres major in a male figure. Its fibers course laterally and slightly anteriorly from the dorsal (posterior) surface of the scapula toward the proximal humerus, where the tendon inserts on the inferior facet of the greater tubercle. Immediately deep to the posterior deltoid, the muscle forms part of the posterior wall of the axilla and contributes to the muscular boundaries around the quadrangular space, with the long head of triceps lying inferior and medial. Clinically, isolating teres minor matters because its contribution to external rotation and posterior glenohumeral stability is often underestimated, and it behaves differently from the infraspinatus in both denervation and cuff disease. Axillary nerve injury at the surgical neck of the humerus or within the quadrangular space can weaken teres minor along with the deltoid, and selective fatty atrophy of teres minor on shoulder MRI is a recognized clue to quadrilateral space syndrome. This is a key landmark. Education-wise, the full-body context helps when you need to anchor shoulder girdle anatomy to surface form and posture, not just a cropped scapular view. Expect this plate to suit rotator cuff teaching in gross anatomy and kinesiology courses, to support orthopedic and sports medicine texts discussing posterior shoulder pain and external rotation weakness, and to illustrate operative planning around the posterior approach to the shoulder where the axillary nerve and posterior circumflex humeral artery are at risk. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.