The lateral (axillary) border is the thick outer edge of the shoulder blade, running from just below the glenoid cavity down to the inferior angle. It acts as a strong bony bar that resists the pull of the muscles attached to it. The long head of triceps arises from the infraglenoid tubercle at its top, teres minor from the upper part of its back surface and teres major from near its lower end.
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| Ossification | Formed from the primary centre of the scapular body; the infraglenoid region ossifies as part of the scapular neck in the fetal period. |
The lateral border is the thickest, strongest part of the scapular body and is the main site for plate fixation in displaced scapular body and neck fractures. Fracture patterns often run into or along it. It is used as a landmark in posterior shoulder surgery and in raising scapular bone flaps for jaw reconstruction, since the circumflex scapular vessels run close to it. The quadrangular and triangular spaces, through which the axillary nerve and circumflex vessels pass, lie close to this border.
A fracture of the shoulder blade from high-energy trauma, often extending to the lateral border; most heal without surgery, but marked displacement may need plating along this border.
Compression of the axillary nerve and posterior circumflex humeral artery in the space bordered by teres minor, teres major, the long head of triceps and the humerus, causing posterior shoulder pain and deltoid weakness.
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