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| Longissimus | |
|---|---|
| Name | Longissimus |
| Latin | musculus longissimus |
| Origin | sacrum, iliac crest, lumbar vertebrae |
| Insertion | ribs, cervical transverse processes, mastoid process |
| Nerve | posterior rami of spinal nerves |
| Action | bilateral extension of vertebral column; unilateral lateral flexion |
Longissimus is the intermediate column of the erector spinae muscle group situated lateral to the spinalis and medial to the iliocostalis in the posterior trunk. It spans from the sacrum and lumbar vertebrae to the ribs and skull, linking structures such as the Sacrum, Ilium, Rib, Cervical vertebra, and Mastoid process. Frequently discussed alongside figures like Andreas Vesalius, Henry Gray, Jean-Martin Charcot, William Hunter, and institutions such as the Royal College of Surgeons, the muscle has been described in classic texts like Gray's Anatomy and in studies at centers including Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the University of Oxford.
The longissimus comprises regional subdivisions—longissimus thoracis, longissimus cervicis, and longissimus capitis—originating from the posterior sacrum and posterior iliac crest and inserting on the posterior elements of the ribs, transverse processes, and mastoid process, linking landmarks such as the Sacrum, Iliac crest, Lumbar vertebra, Thoracic vertebra, Cervical vertebra, and Mastoid process. Its innervation arises from the dorsal rami of the spinal nerves, a pathway studied at institutions like Harvard Medical School, Stanford University School of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Université Paris Cité, and the University of Tokyo. Vascular supply through segmental arteries relates to vessels named and investigated in contexts involving the Aorta, Intercostal artery, Lumbar artery, Vertebral artery, and surgical series from Cleveland Clinic and Imperial College London. Anatomical relations include proximity to the Thoracolumbar fascia, Multifidus muscle, Iliocostalis, Spinalis, and posterior rami branches described by anatomists such as Gilroy D., Netter F.H., and Sobotta J..
Longissimus acts in extension and lateral flexion of the vertebral column and head, working in concert with structures and figures associated with spinal biomechanics research such as Anders O., Vladimir J., Björn Nordenström, Paul A., and institutions like Columbia University Irving Medical Center. It contributes to posture maintenance relevant to clinical contexts in studies from Karolinska Institutet, University of Cambridge, University of California, San Francisco, University College London, and University of Toronto. The muscle's role in trunk rotation and stabilization has been quantified in electromyography studies by groups at University of Sydney, University of Copenhagen, McGill University, ETH Zurich, and Duke University School of Medicine.
Pathology involving this muscle appears in low back pain cohorts managed at centers such as Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Karolinska Universitetssjukhuset, and Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. Overuse, strain, and myofascial pain syndromes implicate the longissimus in trials and guidelines authored by organizations like the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, World Health Organization, and research groups at Johns Hopkins Hospital and Mount Sinai Hospital. Its involvement is considered in conditions such as facet joint arthropathy, spondylolisthesis, and radiculopathy treated in series from Hospital for Special Surgery, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, University Hospital Heidelberg, and Tokyo Medical University Hospital. Interventions—physical therapy protocols originating from Katsumi Ito, injection techniques popularized by teams at Mayo Clinic, radiofrequency neurotomy described by groups at Cleveland Clinic, and surgical approaches practiced at Rothman Orthopaedic Institute—often reference the muscle's anatomy.
Comparative anatomy studies contrast longissimus morphology across species including Homo sapiens, Pan troglodytes, Gorilla gorilla, Pongo pygmaeus, Canis lupus familiaris, Equus ferus caballus, Bos taurus, Mus musculus, and Rattus norvegicus in laboratories at Smithsonian Institution, Natural History Museum, London, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Chicago. Variations in fiber composition, attachment sites, and size have been detailed by evolutionary anatomists associated with Charles Darwin-inspired programs and comparative morphology collections at American Museum of Natural History and Field Museum. Anthropological and paleontological contexts relate the muscle to spinal adaptations discussed in work from Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology and Royal Society publications.
Embryological origin traces to the paraxial mesoderm and myotome compartments of the somites during somitogenesis, processes elucidated by researchers at European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Broad Institute, and Wellcome Sanger Institute. Developmental patterning involves signaling pathways studied in models from Zebrafish, Danio rerio, Xenopus laevis, Mus musculus, and analyses at Salk Institute and Babraham Institute. Genetic and molecular factors implicated include HOX gene clusters and myogenic regulatory factors investigated by teams at National Institutes of Health, EMBL-EBI, University of Pennsylvania, and Cornell University.
Imaging modalities—magnetic resonance imaging used at Mayo Clinic, computed tomography protocols refined at Johns Hopkins Hospital, ultrasound techniques advanced at Karolinska Institutet, and intraoperative navigation systems from Stryker Corporation and Medtronic—are applied to evaluate longissimus anatomy and pathology. Surgical exposures in posterior spinal fusion, decompression, and instrumentation performed at Cleveland Clinic, Hospital for Special Surgery, Barrow Neurological Institute, and Rothman Orthopaedic Institute necessitate awareness of the muscle's relationships to pedicles, facets, and laminae, and intersect with device approvals by agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency. Pain management procedures, rehabilitation protocols, and ergonomics are routinely developed in collaboration with centers like Stanford Health Care, University of Washington Medical Center, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, and professional societies including the North American Spine Society and International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine.
Category:Muscles of the torso