| Teres major muscle | |
|---|---|
 Posterior view showing the relations between teres major muscle (in red) and the other muscles connecting the upper extremity to the vertebral column. | |
 Teres major muscle (in red) seen from back (posterior to anterior perspective). | |
| Details | |
| Origin | Posterior aspect of the inferior angle of the scapula |
| Insertion | Medial lip of the intertubercular sulcus of the humerus |
| Artery | Subscapular and circumflex scapular arteries |
| Nerve | Lower subscapular nerve (segmental levels C5 and C6) |
| Actions | Adduct the humerus, internal rotation (medial rotation) of the humerus, extend the humerus from flexed position |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | musculus teres major |
| TA98 | A04.6.02.011 |
| TA2 | 2462 |
| FMA | 32549 |
| Anatomical terms of muscle | |
The teres major muscle is a muscle of the upper limb. It attaches to the scapula and the humerus and is one of the seven scapulohumeral muscles. It is a thick but somewhat flattened muscle.
The teres major muscle (from Latin teres, meaning "rounded") is positioned above the latissimus dorsi muscle and assists in the extension and medial rotation of the humerus. This muscle is commonly confused as a rotator cuff muscle, but it is not, because it does not attach to the capsule of the shoulder joint, unlike the teres minor muscle, for example.