Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 22, 2026

Spotting Cheetahs: Identifying Individuals by Their Footprints
Published on: May 1, 2016
The pectoralis major footprint: An anatomical study
Eduardo Antônio de Figueiredo1, Bernardo Barcellos Terra1, Carina Cohen1
1Sports Traumatology Center, Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Objective:
To study the insertion of the pectoralis major tendon to the humerus, through knowledge of its dimensions in the coronal and sagittal planes.
Methods:
Twenty shoulders from 10 cadavers were dissected and the pectoralis major tendon insertion on the humerus was identified and isolated. The dimensions of its "footprint" (proximal to distal and medial to lateral borders) and the distance from the top edge of the pectoralis major tendon to apex of the humeral head structures were measured.
Results:
The average proximal to distal border length was 80.8 mm (range: 70-90) and the medial-to-lateral border length was 6.1 mm (5-7). The average distance (and range) from the apex of the pectoralis major tendon to the humeral head was 59.3 mm.
Conclusions:
We demonstrate that the insertion of the pectoralis major tendon is laminar, and the pectoralis major tendon has an average footprint height and width of 80.8 mm and 6.1 mm, respectively.
Related Concept Videos
Major Organs of the Digestive System
Gastrointestinal tract:
Major Losses in Pipes
Fluid flow can be classified as laminar or turbulent, primarily based on the Reynolds number. This dimensionless number reflects the relative influence of inertial to viscous...
Major Hormones and Their Functions
Oxytocin, produced in the hypothalamus and released by the pituitary gland, plays a role in social bonding, childbirth, and...
Anatomical Positions
The body is upright, facing forward, and standing erect.
The feet are parallel and flat on the floor.
The arms are hanging by the...
Anatomical Terminology
Anatomical Movements
Here are some common anatomical movements:
Flexion and extension motions are in the sagittal (anterior–posterior) plane of motion. These movements take place at the shoulder, hip, elbow, knee, wrist,...

