Anatomy Lesson: Neck musculature

Neck Anatomy

Anterior Muscles

• Scalenus ant/med/post- Run from C1-7 out to ribs 1-2 to perform rib elevation during inhalation, head side bend, and neck flexion.
• Sternocleidomastoid (sternal/clavicular heads) aka SCOM- Runs from sternum and clavicle up to the temporal bone and occipital bone to perform head opposite side rotation and head extension.
• Trapezius (descending part aka upper trap)- Runs from occiput bone out to the clavicle to perform scapular upward movement.
• (there are additional smaller muscles for chewing surrounding the jaw)

Posterior Muscles

• Rectus capitis posterior maj/min- Runs from C1/2 up to the occipital bone to perform head extension and same-side rotation.
• Obliquus Capitis sup/inf-The superior portion runs from C1 to the occipital bone. The inferior portion runs from C1 spinous process to transverse process. They perform head extension and rotation.
• Longus Capitis- Runs from C3-6 transverse processes up to the occipital bone to perform head flexion and same-side rotation.
• Longus Colli sup/inf/med- Run from as low as T3 up to as high as C3 (depending on the division) up to C1-6 (depending on the division). They perform neck flexion, same-side rotation, and same side tilt.
• Rectus capitis ant/lat- Run from C1 up to occipital bone to perform head flexion and side bending.
• Splenius capitis/cervicis- Run from C7-T6 up to C0-2 to perform head and neck extension plus head same-side sidebending.
• Muscles like Iliocostalis, Longissimus, Spinalis, Multifidus, Interspinales, & Intertransversarii extend far down into the lower back, so they are described in the “Back” blog post.
• Levator Scapulae- Runs from C1-4 transverse processes out to the superior scapula to perform medial and upward scapular movement and neck same-side incline.

Stretching

Perform these three stretches for 30 seconds each on the L and R.

Strengthening

1) Press your head against your hand for 5 seconds as you try to keep your head upright. 10x in each direction.

2) Chin Tucks- Lie down and tuck your chin to your chest as if making a double chin.