Obliquus capitis superior muscle

Obliquus capitis superior muscle

Deep muscles of the back. (Obliq. super. labeled at upper left.)
Latin	musculus obliquus capitis superior
Gray's	subject #116 402
Origin:	lateral mass of atlas
Insertion:	lateral half of the inferior nuchal line
Artery:
Nerve:	suboccipital nerve
Action:
Dorlands/Elsevier	m_22/12549857

The Obliquus capitis superior muscle arises from the lateral mass of the atlas bone. It passes superiorly and posteriorly to insert into the lateral half of the inferior nuchal line. It is innervated by the suboccipital nerve, the dorsal ramus of the first spinal nerve.

Additional recommended knowledge

Daily Sensitivity Test

Daily Visual Balance Check

Correct Test Weight Handling Guide: 12 Practical Tips

It acts at the atlanto-occipital joint to extend the head and flex the head to the ipsilateral side.

Additional images

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.

v • d • e List of muscles of torso
BACK	splenius (capitis, cervicis) - erector spinae (iliocostalis, longissimus, spinalis) - latissimus dorsi transversospinales: (semispinalis dorsi, semispinalis cervicis, semispinalis capitis, multifidus, rotatores) - interspinales - intertransversarii
SUBOCCIPITAL	rectus capitis posterior (major, minor) - obliquus capitis (inferior, superior)
CHEST	intercostales (external, internal, innermost) - subcostales - transversus thoracis - levatores costarum - serratus posterior (inferior, superior) - diaphragm
ABDOMEN	anterior/lateral wall: obliques (external, internal) - transversus abdominis - rectus abdominis - pyramidalis posterior wall: quadratus lumborum - psoas major/psoas minor - iliacus cremaster
PELVIS/FLOOR	levator ani (iliococcygeus, pubococcygeus, puborectalis) - coccygeus
PERINEUM	anal triangle: sphincter ani (externus, internus) superficial perineal pouch (superficial transverse perineal, bulbospongiosus, ischiocavernosus) deep perineal pouch (deep transverse perineal, sphincter urethrae membranaceae)