How it works
A clavicle anatomy quiz on two drawings of the right clavicle, the collarbone. The first shows it from above, with its two ends and its shaft. The second turns it over to show the anatomical features of the underside, where ligaments and a muscle attach.
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From above
The sternal end is the thick, rounded one; it meets the sternum. The acromial end is flat and broad; it meets the acromion of the scapula. Between them the shaft bows forward near the sternum and back near the shoulder.
From below
The bone is turned over with the sternal end still on the left. Each tip has a facet for its joint. The costal tuberosity is the rough patch near the sternal end, the subclavian groove runs along the middle, and the conoid tubercle and trapezoid line lie near the acromial end.
- Conoid tubercle and trapezoid line are named for the two ligaments that attach there.
Questions and answers
What are the two ends of the clavicle called?
The sternal end and the acromial end. The rounded sternal end meets the manubrium of the sternum. The flat acromial end meets the acromion of the scapula.
How do you tell the top of a clavicle from the bottom?
The top is smooth. The underside is rough: it has the costal tuberosity near the sternal end, the subclavian groove along the middle, and the conoid tubercle and trapezoid line near the acromial end.
What attaches to the conoid tubercle and the trapezoid line?
The two parts of the coracoclavicular ligament, which ties the clavicle to the coracoid process of the scapula: the conoid ligament at the tubercle and the trapezoid ligament along the line.
Is the clavicle the same as the collarbone?
Yes. Clavicle is the anatomical name for the collarbone. There are two, one on each side, each running from the sternum to the shoulder blade.