It originates from the transverse processes of the four uppermost cervical vertebrae; it inserts onto the upper portion of the medial border of the scapula.

[citation needed] The number of attachments varies; a slip may extend to the occipital or mastoid, to the trapezius, scalene or serratus anterior, or to the first or second rib.

Levator claviculæ from the transverse processes of one or two upper cervical vertebræ to the outer end of the clavicle corresponds to a muscle of lower animals.

[2] It often works in combination with other muscles like the rhomboids and pectoralis minor to produce downward rotation of the scapula.

Elevating both at once with equal amounts of pull on both side of cervical spinal origins would counteract these forces.

When the shoulder is fixed, levator scapulae rotates to the same side and flexes the cervical spine laterally.