Joint · Neck

Atlanto-occipital joint

Articulatio atlantooccipitalis

The joint between the base of the skull and the first vertebra — where the head actually sits on the neck. The occipital condyles are convex and rest in the cup-shaped facets of the atlas, one on each side, forming a paired joint that works as a single unit. This is the nodding joint: it produces the small 'yes' movement of the head and almost no rotation. Because the head is balanced here all day, the short muscles at the base of the skull rarely get to switch off, and this is a common source of tenderness at the top of the neck.