Visualizing Neck Muscles on a Diagram

Many muscles of the neck support your head and spine. While they all work together, some have slightly different functions and are more prone to becoming tight. Understanding your neck muscle anatomy can help you identify which muscles affect you when you feel pain or tightness.

This article will review neck muscle anatomy with diagrams, neck muscle function, and ways to relieve tightness and rehabilitate painful neck muscles.

Anatomy of Neck Muscles

The cervical spine is the section of the spine that forms the foundation of the neck. Many muscles attach to the vertebrae of the cervical spine. When these muscles contract, the neck can move in multiple directions, including rotating side to side and bending forward, backward, and sideways. Several groups of muscles control neck movement, including the spinal, anterior neck, posterior neck, suboccipital, and superficial neck muscles.

Neck Muscles

Spinal Muscles

Your spine, as a whole, is supported by three long columns of muscles. These muscles are collectively called the erector spinae or paraspinals. These muscles support your upright posture and are present in the cervical spine of the neck and the thoracic and lumbar spine of the upper, middle, and lower back. These muscles also help control the side bending and backward bending of your spine.

The three paraspinal muscles are the:

• Spinalis : The innermost muscle layer
• Longissimus : The middle muscle layer
• Iliocostalis : The outermost muscle layer

Tiny muscles that connect one vertebra to another are also present throughout your entire spine, including your neck. These muscles are called the multifidi and rotatores , which help rotate the spine.

Anterior Neck Muscles

The anterior, or front, of your neck has four deep muscles located close to the spine. These muscles help stabilize the neck and bend the neck forward. They include the longus capitis , longus colli , rectus capitis lateralis , and rectus capitis anterior .

Posterior Neck Muscles

The posterior, or back, of your neck also has four deep muscles located close to the spine. These muscles help stabilize the neck and bend the neck backward. They include the splenius capitis , splenius cervicis , semispinalis capitis , and semispinalis cervicis .

Suboccipitals

The suboccipitals are a group of four tiny muscles that connect the bottom of the skull to the first and second vertebrae of the neck. They help rotate the head and move the head forward and backward. They include the rectus capitis posterior major, rectus capitis posterior minor, obliquus capitis superior, and obliquus capitis inferior.

When these muscles are tight, you will feel tightness and tension at the base of your skull. You may also experience a cervicogenic headache caused by pain and tightness originating from the neck.

Superficial Neck Muscles

The superficial neck muscles are the closest to the surface of the neck. They are primarily located at the sides of the neck and help with rotation. These muscles tend to become the most tight and restricted with poor posture and neck injuries.

Superficial muscles of the neck include:

• Sternocleidomastoid (SCM): A long, slender muscle that travels from the breastbone (sternum) to the collarbone (clavicle) and then on a diagonal up to the base of the skull. This muscle side bends, rotates, and bends the neck forward.
• Scalenes (anterior, middle, and posterior): A group of three muscles at the sides of the neck that side bend and rotate the head
• Trapezius (Traps): A thick neck and shoulder muscle that shrugs the shoulders up and helps the side bend, rotate, and bend the neck backward
• Levator Scapulae: A muscle that travels from the neck on a diagonal down to the shoulder blades that lifts the shoulder blades up

Neck Muscles Function

All of the neck muscles work together to support and stabilize the vertebrae of the neck. This helps you maintain an upright posture and keeps your head up when sitting or standing. Many of the deeper neck muscles aid stability, while the superficial neck muscles help with movement.

Because the superficial neck muscles attach to many different points along the cervical spine, they often produce a variety of movements at once. The many muscles of the neck allow the neck to move in six different motions: forward and backward bending, right and left side bending, and right and left rotation. These movements are needed to allow your head to move for various everyday activities.

How to Heal Sore Neck Muscles

Sore neck muscles often occur from straining the neck with prolonged poor posture or sleeping with your head and neck not supported properly. A sore neck may also result from injuries, such as whiplash from a motor vehicle accident, or from strenuous upper body workouts. A few physical methods can be used to help relieve neck soreness and discomfort.

Stretching

Gentle stretching of your neck can help improve the flexibility of your neck muscles. This will help relieve tension in your neck and strain from tight neck muscles pulling on your spine.

Heat

Applying heat to your neck increases blood flow to the muscles. This can help relieve muscle tightness and improve your range of motion.

Massage

Applying pressure to your neck muscles through massage can help relieve tension and tightness to reduce strain on your neck. If possible, it is best to be lie down and have another person assist you with massage to keep your neck muscles fully relax.

Rest

Resting your neck can help reduce strain on muscles that are fatigued from working all day. Because most people spend much of the day sitting or standing, the neck muscles have little time to relax. Lying down with your head and neck properly supported with pillows can help relax your neck muscles and give them a chance to rest.

Associated Neck Muscle Conditions and Injuries

The most common condition that affects neck muscles is a muscle strain of one or more neck muscles. This often results from poor posture, sleeping with your head and neck not supported properly, strenuous upper body workouts, or whiplash from motor vehicle accidents. Neck muscle strains result in neck pain, tenderness, and tightness that can restrict the range of motion of your neck.

Other conditions that affect the neck do not directly affect the neck muscles but can irritate the neck muscles over time as the conditions worsen. Conditions that affect the neck vertebrae include osteoarthritis, spinal stenosis, bulging or herniated discs, and cervical myelopathy. These conditions affect the alignment and movement of the neck's vertebrae, which can lead to tightness and pain in neck muscles over time.

Rehabilitation for Neck Muscles

Rehabilitation for neck muscle strains include many of the treatment options that can be done at home. Applying heat, stretching, and massage can help relieve muscle tightness and pain. Rehabilitation also involves postural correction exercises to strengthen the deep muscles of your neck and shoulder blades to improve your posture.

Proper upright posture decreases strain on your neck muscles and can help prevent strains from recurring. A physical therapist will be able to evaluate your posture to determine which muscles are too tight and guide you in how to correctly perform postural exercises.

A physical therapist may also use their hands to apply pressure to your neck to mobilize your vertebrae. This can help restore movement in the joints and improve your neck movement, which can help prevent neck muscles from becoming tight.

Summary

The neck has a variety of different muscles that provide support and control head and neck movement. The main muscle groups of the neck include the spinal muscles, anterior neck muscles, posterior neck muscles, suboccipitals, and superficial neck muscles. The deeper neck muscles work more to provide stability while the superficial neck muscles work more to produce movement, although all muscles work together.

Neck muscle tightness and pain can result from poor posture, sleeping with your head and neck poorly supported, upper body workouts, or whiplash from motor vehicle accidents. Applying heat, stretching, massage, and rest can help alleviate discomfort. For ongoing issues, working with a physical therapist to perform corrective postural exercises, stretches, and manual techniques can help provide lasting relief.

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By Kristen Gasnick, PT, DPT
Dr. Gasnick is a medical writer and physical therapist based out of northern New Jersey.