Muscle · Neck

Semispinalis cervicis

Musculus semispinalis cervicis

The layer lying directly beneath semispinalis capitis, running the same way but stopping at the neck vertebrae instead of reaching the skull. Its fibres climb from the transverse processes of the upper thoracic vertebrae and cross four to six segments before attaching to the spinous processes of the cervical vertebrae, thickest and strongest where they reach the second — a substantial slip on the axis. That oblique, multi-segment course is the family signature of the semispinalis group: they extend the neck and, working on one side alone, turn the vertebrae towards the opposite side. Because they span several segments and lie close to the spine, they act on the column itself rather than on the head.