Anatomy of the Shoulder
Orthopedics is a branch of medicine that deals with the bones and the skeleton, as well as the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the skeletal system, muscles and joints.
The shoulder is comprised of two bones – the humerus, or upper arm bone, and the scapula, or shoulder blade.
The head of the humerus (humeral head) meets the end of the scapula, or glenoid, in a shallow socket to form a glenohumeral cavity that acts as a flexible ball-and-socket joint. A ring of soft fibrous tissue called the labrum surrounds the glenoid to help stabilize the joint.
Ligaments connect the bones of the shoulder. Tendons connect surrounding muscles to the bones. The biceps tendon connects the biceps muscle to the shoulder, helping to stabilize the joint. Four short muscles on the scapula pass around the shoulder, where their tendons fuse together to form the rotator cuff.
All of these shoulder components, along with the muscles of your upper body, work together to manage the stress placed upon your shoulders as you go about your normal activities, such as lifting and flexing.
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