Latissimus dorsi origin and insertion

Latissimus dorsi runs from the seventh to twelfth thoracic vertebrae, hip bone and tenth to twelfth ribs to the humerus.

What are the origin and insertion of latissimus dorsi?

Latissimus dorsi arises from the spines of the lower six thoracic vertebrae; the thoracolumbar fascia, to the lumbar and sacral spines; the back of the iliac crest; and the lower ribs. It inserts on the floor of the intertubercular groove. Its main actions are shoulder extension and shoulder adduction. It is supplied by the thoracodorsal nerve (C6, C7, C8). The attachments, actions and nerve follow Gray (1918).

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Every attachment and its bone

Origins 4

Origins of latissimus dorsi, with the bone each is on
Attachment	Bone
Spines of the lower six thoracic vertebrae	Seventh to twelfth thoracic vertebrae
Thoracolumbar fascia, to the lumbar and sacral spines	None The thoracolumbar fascia is not segmented in BodyParts3D, so this attachment cannot be painted.
Back of the iliac crest	Hip bone
Lower ribs	Tenth to twelfth ribs

Insertion 1

Insertion of latissimus dorsi, with the bone each is on
Attachment	Bone
Floor of the intertubercular groove	Humerus

Actions

The actions of latissimus dorsi, and which are its main ones
Action	What moves	Main or assisting
Shoulder extension	The arm swings back	Main action
Shoulder adduction	The arm comes down to the side	Main action
Medial rotation	With the elbow bent, the forearm swings in	Assists

Each action is stated in the anatomical position: standing, arms by the sides, palms forward.

Innervation

The thoracodorsal nerve (C6, C7, C8).

Lifts that use latissimus dorsi

A prime mover produces the lift’s main joint action against the load; a synergist assists that action, or adds a secondary action the lift needs. Each role is the one the lift’s own page gives, for the technique that page states.

Prime mover in 4

Lifts in which latissimus dorsi is a prime mover, with what it does there
Lift	What it does there
Bent-over barbell row	Pulling the upper arms back
Pull-up	Pulling the upper arms down to the sides
Chin-up	Pulling the upper arms down and back
Lat pulldown	Pulling the upper arms down to the sides A wide overhand grip to the front works it at least as well as other grips (Signorile et al. 2002; Lusk et al. 2010).

Synergist in 1

Lifts in which latissimus dorsi is a synergist, with what it does there
Lift	What it does there
Parallel-bar dip	Holding the shoulders down, away from the ears

It is also a stabilizer in the conventional deadlift, sumo deadlift, Romanian deadlift, flat bench press and cable triceps pushdown.

Sources

Gray (1918), Myology, the muscles connecting the upper extremity to the vertebral column

Each lift role is from that lift’s page in muscles worked by exercise, which names the sources it follows.

See it in 3D

Visualiser · Biology Muscle Origin, Insertion and Action Explorer Paint a muscle’s origin and insertion on real 3D bones, or click a bone to see what attaches to it. Visualiser · Biology Back Muscles Explorer 58 back muscle meshes, in six dissection layers. Visualiser · Biology Muscles Worked by Exercise 3D Explorer Choose a lift and a real body lights its prime movers, synergists and stabilisers, front and back, with the same muscles in 3D.