Quick Facts
Origin: C5, C6, and C7 roots of the brachial plexus.
Course: It runs inferiorly down the lateral margin of the ribs.
Branches: No named branches.
Supply: Motor innervation to the serratus anterior muscle.
Related parts of the anatomy
Origin
The long thoracic nerve arises from the anterior rami of the fifth to seventh cervical nerves (the C5, C6, and C7 roots of the brachial plexus). Fibers from each of these three roots break off in the neck and merge to form the long thoracic nerve.
Course
The long thoracic nerve runs inferiorly and laterally, passing between the clavicle and the first rib.
It continues inferiorly, posterior to the rest of the brachial plexus, along the lateral margin of the ribs, roughly at the mid-axillary line. Running along the superficial surface of the serratus anterior, it innervates each of the slips of this muscle.
Branches
There are no named branches of the long thoracic nerve. It terminates in the serratus anterior, giving off small unnamed branches to each slip.
Supplied Structures
The long thoracic nerve is a motor nerve whose fibers innervate the serratus anterior muscle.
List of Clinical Correlates
—Winged scapula
