ABSTRACT
Introduction: Anatomical variations of the levator scapulae are important and therefore clinically relevant. Thelevator scapulae are now believed to be the leading cause of discomfort in patients with chronic tension-typeneck and shoulder pain and a link between anatomical variants of the muscle and increased risk of developingpain has been speculated. The results obtained were compared with previous studies.Materials and methods: The study was conducted on 32 levator scapulae muscle of 16 cadavers over a period of3 years. The dissection of head and neck was done carefully to preserve all minute details, observing themorphological variations of the muscle in the department of Anatomy, Viswabharathi Medical College,Penchikalapadu, and Kurnool.Results: Total 32 levator scapulae muscles were used. All the sample values were measured to 2 decimal places.The average age of the cadavers in the sample was 82.87 years. The oldest cadaver in the sample was 100 yearsold and the youngest 61 years. Measurements of the proximal and distal attachments and the total length of themuscles were taken. Between 3 and 6 muscle slips were reported at the proximal attachment. Differences werealso observed between sides. The first report of a levator scapula muscle with 6 muscle slips at the proximalattachment was described.Conclusion: In our study we report 3 to 6 muscle slips in our study group. In order to improve the reliability of theresults of this study a greater number of specimens should be used, either through further dissection or inclusionof results from imaging techniques. The findings of the study should still be of great interest to cliniciansassociated with this area of the body. By doing this the speculated link between muscle variation and clinicaloutcomes such as myofascial pain syndrome could be investigated further. The potential applications andexpansions of this study are exciting and may begin to uncover the unexplained mechanisms behind myofascialpain syndrome.