Neck Muscles

What are neck muscles?

Your neck muscles are part of a complex musculoskeletal system (soft tissues and bones) that connects the base of your skull to your torso (trunk). Muscles contain fibers that contract (get smaller), allowing you to perform lots of different movements. The muscles of your neck help you do everything from chewing and swallowing to moving your head.

The muscles in your neck are skeletal muscles, meaning they’re attached to bones by tendons. They’re voluntary muscles, so you control how they move and work.

Neck muscle injuries like strains can be painful but aren’t usually cause for alarm. In rare cases, serious neck injuries need immediate medical attention.

What do neck muscles do?

Your neck muscles serve a variety of functions, including:

• Elevating your upper ribs so you can inhale
• Helping with chewing, swallowing and speaking
• Making certain facial expressions
• Moving your head, neck and upper back, including your shoulder blades
• Stabilizing and supporting your head, neck and spine

Where are the neck muscles located?

Your neck muscles are at the front, sides and back of your neck. From the back, they begin just beneath the base of your skull and extend down near the middle of your back, around your shoulder blades. From the front, these muscles begin at your jaw and extend to your collarbone (clavicle) at the top of your chest.

How are the muscles in your neck structured?

There are three main categories of neck muscles: anterior (front), lateral (side) and posterior (back). They can be further broken down by type.

Anterior neck muscles

Anterior neck muscles are arranged in four distinct regions, including superficial, suprahyoid, infrahyoid and scalene muscles.

Superficial muscles

Your superficial muscles are some of the largest muscles in your neck. They include:

• Platysma
• Sternocleidomastoid
• Trapezius

Suprahyoid muscles

Your suprahyoid muscles move your hyoid bone (a bone at the top of your neck, just below your jawline) when you swallow and speak. They include:

• Digastric
• Geniohyoid
• Mylohyoid
• Stylohyoid

Infrahyoid muscles

Your infrahyoid muscles are four muscles below your hyoid bone that move your larynx (voice box) up and down. They include:

• Omohyoid
• Sternohyoid
• Sternothyroid
• Thyrohyoid

Scalene muscles

Your scalene muscles move your first two ribs up and down so you can inhale air when you breathe. They also help move your head and stabilize the bones in your neck (cervical spine). They include:

• Anterior scalene
• Middle scalene
• Posterior scalene

Lateral neck muscles

Your lateral neck muscles control head movements from the base of your skull. They also help you twist your head from side to side and twist and tilt your cervical spine. They include:

• Longus capitis
• Longus colli
• Rectus capitis anterior
• Rectus capitis lateralis

Posterior neck muscles

Types of posterior neck muscles include superficial, suboccipital and transversospinalis.

Superficial muscles

Your superficial muscles are strap-like muscles in the back of your neck that help you extend and rotate your head. They include:

• Splenius capitis
• Splenius cervicis

Suboccipital muscles

Your suboccipital muscles are just below the occipital bone at the base of your skull. They help extend your head in different directions. They include:

• Obliquus capitis inferior
• Obliquus capitis superior
• Rectus capitis posterior major
• Rectus capitis posterior minor

Transversospinalis muscles

Your transversospinalis muscles help you move your head forward and backward, as well as tilt it from side to side. They also help stabilize your spine and move the cervical, thoracic and lumbar regions of your spine. They include:

• Interspinales
• Intertransversarii
• Rotatores cervicis
• Semispinalis capitis
• Semispinalis cervicis

What do neck muscles look like?

Like all other skeletal muscles in the body, the muscles in your neck contain lots of tiny, elastic fibers that allow the muscles to contract. Sheaths of tough connective tissue hold the fibers together. Skeletal muscle fibers are red and white, so the muscles look striped or streaked (striated).

What are the common conditions and disorders that affect neck muscles?

Common conditions that affect your neck muscles include:

• Neck spasms
• Strains
• Whiplash

Signs/symptoms something isn’t working right

Neck injuries may cause:

• Headache in the back of your head
• Muscle spasms or pain in your upper shoulder
• Numbness in your arm or hand
• Pain or tenderness in the front, side or back of your neck
• Stiffness or inability to move your head in different directions
• Swelling or bruising around your neck