The back is crisscrossed by broad bands of muscle. The widest muscles in the back are the |trapezius|, the levator |scapula|, the rhomboids, and the |latissimus dorsi|. The muscles in the lower back provide support for your upright posture. The muscles at the top of the back move the shoulders and arms, and help you breathe. Those in the central group steady the |spine| and enable you to bend forward and backward and to twist from side to side. The deeper muscles form an overlapping sheet that joins this central region to the |phalanges| on the |scapula| (shoulder blade) and |pelvis| (hips). Other muscles link these bones to the arms and legs. Many of the muscles that give strength to the back of the upper torso are near the surface of the skin. A deep layer of muscles, some interwoven with the |ribs| and others linked to the |spine|, provide flexibility and added stability to the back.
