This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Longus capitis muscle (anatomy)

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Longus capitis is one of the muscles of the neck. It arises from the anterior tubercles of the transverse processes of the third to sixth cervical vertebrae. From these origins, it converges superomedially to insert into the anterior and basilar surface of the occipital bone.

It is innervated by the anterior primary rami of the first to fourth cervical nerves (C1-C4).

Longus capitis has several actions:

  • acting unilaterally, to:
    • flex the head and neck laterally
    • rotate the head ipsilaterally
  • acting bilaterally, to flex the head and neck

Create an account to add page annotations

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page