What Does Latissimus Dorsi Muscle Do?

The latissimus dorsi muscle, also known as lats, is a flat, wing-like muscle that originates from the lower part of the back. It is located in the mid-back. The lats originate along the seventh thoracic vertebra (T7) of the spine and extend to the humerus. The muscle also covers the tip of the shoulder blade (scapula).

The lats cover the width of the back and mainly control the movement of the shoulder. It is located superficially and clearly visible when the skin is removed.

A weak lats muscle may interfere with:

• Moving your arm toward your body or away from the body.
• Your ability to rotate the trunk.

Tight or short lats can interfere with:

• Moving your arm up in front of you or out to the side.
• Lower back pain.

Injury or damage to lats muscle can lead to:

• Lower back pain
• Mid to upper back pain
• Shoulder pain
• Arm pain extending to your fingers

You may experience lats muscle pain:

• Anywhere in the back
• Behind the shoulders
• Under the shoulder blades
• Even down to fingertips

To identify whether the pain is due to lats muscle injury, you should check:

• If the discomfort increases when you lift the arms over the head or you are throwing something.
• Stretching the arms forward at shoulder height.

You can avoid lats muscle injury by taking few preventive steps:

• Maintain an upright posture and refrain from stooping.
• Remain hydrated throughout the day, especially before and after exercising.
• Get an occasional massage to relax any stiffness in your back and shoulders.
• Make sure you properly stretch and warm-up before exercising or playing sports.
• Apply a heating pad before working out.
• Try relaxing exercises after a workout.