| Splenius cervicis | |
|---|---|
| Muscles connecting the upper extremity to the vertebral column. (Splenius capitis et cervicis labeled at upper right, at neck.) | |
| Latin | musculus splenius cervicis |
| Gray's | subject #115 397 |
| Origin | spinous processes of T3-T6 |
| Insertion | transverse processes of C1-C3 |
| Artery | transverse cervical artery and occipital artery |
| Nerve | Posterior rami of the lower Cervical spinal nerves |
| Actions | Bilaterally: Extend the head & neck, Unilaterally: Lateral flexion to the same side, Rotation to the same side. |
The splenius cervicis (also known as the splenius colli) is a muscle in the back of the neck. It arises by a narrow tendinous band from the spinous processes of the third to the sixth thoracic vertebrae; it is inserted, by tendinous fasciculi, into the posterior tubercles of the transverse processes of the upper two or three cervical vertebrae.
Its name is based on the Greek word "splenion" (meaning a bandage) and the Latin words "cervix" (meaning a neck)[1]. The word "collum" also refers to the neck in Latin[1].
This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.