0 one of the three muscles of the main part of the body. It is shaped like a saw (= a long cutting tool with points along one edge) and starts in the spine or the ribs.
If the lesion occurs more distally involving the upper trunk, the dorsal scapular and long thoracic nerves are spared, preserving rhomboid and serratus anterior muscle function.
It primarily works the anterior deltoid, with assistance from the serratus anterior, biceps brachii and clavicular portions of the pectoralis major.
Functional demands has resulted in the evolution of individual muscles from the basal unit formed by the serratus anterior.
The upper and lower trapezius fibers also work in tandem with the serratus anterior to upwardly rotate the scapulae, such as during an overhead press.
The two muscles most commonly inhibited during this first part of an overhead motion are the serratus anterior and the lower trapezius.
It is musculotendinous in nature and is formed predominantly by the trapezius, rhomboids and serratus anterior muscles.
The serratus anterior also plays an important role in the upward rotation of the scapula, such as when lifting a weight overhead.
Antagonists to this function (upward rotators of the scapulae) are the serratus anterior and upper and lower fibers of the trapezius.
