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Structure
Intermediate
8 min read

The rhomboids

Two oblique sheets between the spine and the inner border of the shoulder blade. They draw the blade towards the spine — the exact reverse of what serratus anterior does.
3D scene
The rhomboids in the deep plane
The scene shows them between the spine and the edge of the shoulder blade, with the trapezius removed. Rhomboid major and minor are merged into one volume there. Without the 3D, the picture fits in one sentence: two oblique straps stretched from the spine to the inner border of the blade.
Open in the explorer

Where the rhomboids are

The rhomboids occupy the space between the spine and the inner border of the shoulder blade, in the upper back. They are entirely covered by the trapezius: they are never visible from outside, and can only be felt indirectly.
There are two of them, stacked and identically oriented. Rhomboid minor, higher and narrower; rhomboid major, lower and broader. Their name comes from their diamond shape.

Origins

  • Rhomboid minor arises from the spinous processes of the seventh cervical and first thoracic vertebrae.
  • Rhomboid major arises from the spinous processes of the second to fifth thoracic vertebrae.

Insertion

Both run obliquely downwards and outwards, and attach to the medial border of the shoulder blade — the minor at the level of the spine of the scapula, the major below it, down to the inferior angle.

Nerve supply and palpable landmarks

The nerve supply comes from the dorsal scapular nerve, from the C5 root. There is no reliable surface landmark, the trapezius covering them entirely; their action can be sensed by drawing the shoulder blades towards each other.

What the rhomboids do

Their oblique path produces two simultaneous actions on the shoulder blade.
  • Retraction: they draw the medial border of the blade towards the spine.
  • Elevation: their vertical component lifts the blade slightly.
  • Downward rotation: they turn the blade so that its socket faces downwards.
Scapular retraction
The movement that draws the shoulder blade towards the spine. The reverse movement, taking it away by sliding it around the ribcage, is protraction.
scapular adduction

The exact reverse of serratus anterior

This is the quickest way to understand them. Serratus anterior draws the blade forward around the ribcage and turns it in upward rotation. The rhomboids bring it back towards the spine and turn it in downward rotation.
Both pull on the same edge of the bone, in opposite directions. That opposition is not sterile: it sets the position of the shoulder blade at every moment, and that position determines where the socket of the shoulder points.
Certainty level · Established
The rhomboids produce retraction and downward rotation of the shoulder blade, in opposition to serratus anterior.
Descriptive anatomy and kinesiology describe the same lines of action and the same opposition. The relative share of each muscle in a given blade position varies with arm angle and with measurement method.
Standring S (2020) · Neumann DA (2016)

The movements they take part in

They work in horizontal pulls, where the blade is drawn towards the spine while the latissimus dorsi pulls the arm. In vertical pulls, their contribution is smaller, the blade descending more than it retracts.
They also work in holding during the loaded carry, where they hold back the shoulder girdle drawn forward by the weight.

Synergists

  • The middle trapezius produces the same retraction, without the downward rotation component.
  • Levator scapulae shares their cervical origin and their elevating component.

Antagonists

Seeing the rhomboids

The rhomboids in the deep plane

The scene shows them between the spine and the edge of the shoulder blade, with the trapezius removed. Rhomboid major and minor are merged into one volume there. Without the 3D, the picture fits in one sentence: two oblique straps stretched from the spine to the inner border of the blade.
Current step
Deep and medial muscles
Beneath the visible groups work muscles no silhouette shows. The rotator cuff holds the head of the humerus against the shoulder blade, serratus anterior keeps the shoulder blade flat on the ribcage, the iliopsoas links the lumbar spine to the femur, and the adductors fill the inner thigh. Deeper still, the diaphragm closes the trunk as a dome, inside the ribs. They orient and stabilise more than they move.
Scene description
A three-dimensional diagram of a standing human body, arms by the sides, built from simplified paper-coloured volumes. Twelve priority muscle groups are laid over this outline in terracotta: at the front, pectoralis major, the deltoid, biceps brachii, the abdominal wall and the quadriceps; at the back, the trapezius, latissimus dorsi, the erector spinae, triceps brachii, the glutes, the hamstrings and the calves. A simplified skeleton — skull, spine, ribcage, pelvis, humerus, femur and tibia — can be shown beneath the outline to reveal the bony levers these muscles pull on. Each group is selectable and opens its own reference page. This is a teaching diagram with stylised volumes, not an exact anatomical reconstruction.
Visible structures
  • Pectoralis major
    A thick sheet running from the clavicle, the sternum and the upper costal cartilages to the lateral lip of the bicipital groove of the humerus. It draws the arm towards the midline and forwards, and drives horizontal pushing.
  • Deltoids
    Three heads — anterior, lateral and posterior — running from the clavicle, the acromion and the spine of the scapula to the deltoid tuberosity of the humerus. Together they raise the arm; separately they carry it forwards, out to the side or backwards.
  • Biceps brachii
    Two heads arising from the scapula — the supraglenoid tubercle and the coracoid process — joining on the radial tuberosity. It flexes the elbow and supinates the forearm, and contributes to every pulling movement.
  • Abdominal wall
    Rectus abdominis, the external and internal obliques and transversus, running from the ribs and sternum to the pubis and iliac crest. They flex and rotate the trunk and, above all, stabilise the spine by regulating intra-abdominal pressure.
  • Quadriceps
    Four heads — rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis and vastus intermedius — joining through the quadriceps tendon onto the patella and then the tibial tuberosity. They extend the knee, and rectus femoris also flexes the hip.
  • Trapezius
    A diamond-shaped muscle spanning from the occiput and the cervical and thoracic spinous processes to the clavicle, the acromion and the spine of the scapula. Its upper, middle and lower portions elevate, retract and depress the scapula.
  • Latissimus dorsi
    A broad fan arising from the lower thoracic vertebrae, the thoracolumbar fascia, the iliac crest and the lowest ribs, converging on the bicipital groove of the humerus. It pulls the arm down and back, and drives vertical pulling.
  • Erector spinae
    Muscular columns — iliocostalis, longissimus and spinalis — running from the sacrum and iliac crest to the ribs, the vertebrae and the skull, on either side of the spinous processes. They extend the spine and control the trunk as it lowers.
  • Triceps brachii
    Three heads — long, lateral and medial — arising from the scapula and the back of the humerus and joining on the olecranon of the ulna. It extends the elbow, and its long head also assists shoulder extension.
  • Glutes
    Gluteus maximus, medius and minimus, arising from the iliac wing and the sacrum and inserting on the femur and the iliotibial tract. They extend, abduct and rotate the hip, and drive the pelvis upright in the hinge and the squat.
  • Hamstrings
    Biceps femoris, semitendinosus and semimembranosus, running from the ischial tuberosity to the tibia and fibula. They extend the hip and flex the knee, and control the trunk as it lowers in the hip hinge.
  • Calves
    The gastrocnemius and soleus, joining through the Achilles tendon onto the calcaneus. They plantarflex the ankle, and the gastrocnemius, which crosses the knee, also assists knee flexion.
  • Rotator cuff
    Four short muscles running from the shoulder blade to the top of the humerus. Their tendons merge into a sheet that holds the head of the bone against its socket while the deltoid moves the arm.
  • Serratus anterior
    A sheet hooked onto the upper ribs by triangular slips, passing under the shoulder blade and attaching to its inner border. It holds the blade against the ribcage and rotates it.
  • Iliopsoas
    The only muscle linking the lumbar spine directly to the femur. It descends from the vertebrae and the iliac fossa, curves around the rim of the pelvis and attaches to the lesser trochanter.
  • Hip adductors
    Five muscles running from the pubis to the back of the femur in overlapping layers. They draw the thigh towards the midline and control the pelvis in single-leg stance.
  • Forearm muscles
    Masses gathered near the elbow, continued by long tendons to the wrist and fingers. They drive the hand from a distance and carry grip strength.
  • Tibialis anterior
    A muscle pressed against the outer surface of the tibia, its tendon swinging towards the inside of the foot. It lifts the toes on every step and brakes the forefoot after heel strike.
  • Diaphragm
    A muscular dome running from the lower border of the ribs, the sternum and the lumbar vertebrae to a central tendon. As it contracts it descends, the chest gains volume and air enters: it is the engine of quiet breathing, and the ceiling of the abdominal cavity.
Guided steps
  • 1/5
    The front of the body. Pectoralis major covers the upper chest, the deltoid caps the shoulder, the biceps fills the front of the arm, the abdominal wall links the ribs to the pelvis, and the quadriceps fills the front of the thigh. Further out on the limbs, the forearm muscles drive the wrist and hand, and tibialis anterior lifts the foot.
  • 2/5
    The back of the body. The trapezius links the neck to the shoulder blades, the latissimus dorsi fans down to the pelvis, the erector spinae flank the spine, and the triceps fills the back of the arm. Glutes, hamstrings and calves form the posterior chain from hip to ankle.
  • 3/5
    Beneath the visible groups work muscles no silhouette shows. The rotator cuff holds the head of the humerus against the shoulder blade, serratus anterior keeps the shoulder blade flat on the ribcage, the iliopsoas links the lumbar spine to the femur, and the adductors fill the inner thigh. Deeper still, the diaphragm closes the trunk as a dome, inside the ribs. They orient and stabilise more than they move.
  • 4/5
    In a push, force starts at the ground, travels through the quadriceps and the abdominal wall, and then pectoralis major, the anterior deltoid and the triceps drive the load away from the trunk. The skeleton acts as the lever: no group works alone, and the quality of the movement comes from their sequencing.
  • 5/5
    In a pull, the latissimus dorsi and trapezius bring the arm and shoulder blade towards the trunk while the biceps flexes the elbow. Glutes, hamstrings and erector spinae hold the pelvis and spine so that force transfers without the trunk collapsing.
Model licence · Z-Anatomy et BodyParts3D — CC-BY-SA 4.0

What the model simplifies

Limit
Under a layer that has to be removed
The rhomboids are entirely covered by the trapezius. The scene shows them by removing it, a situation no observer meets — the same choice made for serratus anterior, caught under the shoulder blade.
Rhomboid major and minor are also extracted together and rendered as a single volume, although they are separable on a dissection.

Sources

Main sources

  • Standring S (2020). Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice, 42nd edition. Elsevier.
  • Neumann DA (2016). Kinesiology of the Musculoskeletal System: Foundations for Rehabilitation, 3rd edition. Elsevier.
Put it into practice in Shapier

Practise the dumbbell row

Performing the dumbbell row, a horizontal pull where the blade returns towards the spine, is followed step by step in Shapier.
Practise the dumbbell row
Body Lab explains; Shapier lets you act and track.

Check my understanding

Which muscle produces exactly the reverse movements of the rhomboids?
In which type of pull do the rhomboids contribute the most?
Why can the rhomboids be neither seen nor palpated directly?
Choose an answer

Read next

  • Serratus anterior
    Serratus anterior links the ribs to the inner border of the shoulder blade and holds it flat against the ribcage. Without it the blade wings out and the arm cannot fully rise.
    With a 3D scene
  • Trapezius
    The trapezius links the skull and the spine to the shoulder girdle. Its three portions orient the shoulder blade, a condition without which the arm cannot rise fully.
    With a 3D scene
  • The shoulder
    The most mobile joint in the body, and the one that holds least by its shape. A wide head resting on a shallow socket, retained by soft tissue.
    With a 3D scene

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Trust and method

Author
equipe-editoriale-shapier
Editorial review
Thanh Chau
Scientific review
Pending
Published on
August 2, 2026
Reviewed on August 2, 2026
Next review due August 2, 2027
Limits of this page
  • Rhomboid major and minor are extracted together in the scene: they form a single volume although they are separable on a dissection.
  • They are entirely covered by the trapezius: the scene shows them by removing it, a situation no observer meets.
  • This page describes an anatomy. Pain between the shoulder blades has many possible causes and belongs to a health professional.
Sources
  • Standring S (2020). Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice, 42nd edition. Elsevier.
  • Neumann DA (2016). Kinesiology of the Musculoskeletal System: Foundations for Rehabilitation, 3rd edition. Elsevier.
Educational content. Body Lab does not diagnose and does not replace professional advice.
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