Overview of the suboccipital muscles (preview) - Human Anatomy | Kenhub

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The suboccipital muscles are a muscle compartment comprised of four pairs of small muscles. These muscles are:

The rectus capitis posterior minor
The rectus capitis posterior major
The obliquus capitis inferior
The obliquus capitis superior

The innervation of these four muscles is provided by the suboccipital nerves, which are posterior branches of the first spinal nerve.

The rectus capitis posterior minor arises by a narrow, pointed tendon from the tubercle on the posterior arch of the atlas (the first cervical vertebra). From here, it goes all the way to insert on the medial part of the inferior nuchal line of the occipital bone and the foramen magnum. It also takes some attachment to the spinal dura mater. This muscle is able to perform a minor degree of extension of the head at the neck.

The four suboccipital muscles mostly function as postural muscles, but also contribute to movement of the head to an extent.
The paired rectus capitis posterior major muscles arise by a pointed tendon as well as from the spinous process of the axis: the second cervical vertebra. From here, it goes all the way to insert on the lateral part of the inferior nuchal line of the occipital bone and the surface of the bone immediately below the line.

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Read more on the suboccipital muscles in our detailed article here: https://khub.me/8kcgl. There are clinical notes, too!

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