Study of the Third Head of Biceps Brachii Muscle in South Indian Population

Biceps brachii muscle is a muscle of the flexor compartment of arm. It arises by two heads – a long head and a short head. In terms of number and morphology of its heads of origin, it is most one of the most variable muscles in the body. Most common variation being the presence of third head of biceps muscle, as present in our study. In this study 64 arms from 32 South Indian cadavers were studied, accessory head of biceps was found in 4 out of 64 arms studied.

The accessory (third) heads of the biceps muscle can cause compression of neurovascular structures of upper limbs. Usually the third head of biceps is an incidental finding during dissections and is rarely detected in clinical studies unless it is symptomatic. The presence of accessory head of biceps can cause various difficulties to surgeons in the surgical procedures of arm and may lead to iatrogenic injuries. Hence the knowledge of such type of variation is important for academic interests as well as for surgeons and physiotherapists.