List of skeletal muscles of the human body
Muscle Origin Insertion Artery Nerve Action
scalene muscles cervical vertebrae first and second ribs ascending cervical artery ( branch of inferior thyroid artery ) cervical nerves ( C3 , C4 , C5 , C6 , C7 elevation of ribs I & II
anterior C3 - C6 first rib ascending cervical artery ( branch of inferior thyroid artery ) ventral ramus of C5 , C6 When the neck is fixed , elevates the first rib to aid in breathing or when the rib is fixed , bends the neck forward and sideways and rotates it to the opposite side
medius C2 - C6 first rib ascending cervical artery ( branch of inferior thyroid artery ) ventral rami of the third to eighth cervical spinal nerves Elevate 1st rib , rotate the neck to the opposite side
posterior transverse processes of C4 - C6 2nd rib ascending cervical artery , superficial cervical artery C6 , C7 , C8 Elevate 2nd rib , tilt the neck to the same side
levator scapulae Posterior tubercles of transverse processes of C1 - C4 Superior part of medial border of scapula dorsal scapular artery cervical nerve ( C3 , C4 ) and dorsal scapular nerve ( C5 ) Elevates scapula and tilts its glenoid cavity inferiorly by rotating scapula
rectus capitis lateralis upper surface of the transverse process of the atlas ( C1 ) under surface of the jugular process of the occipital bone C1
obliquus capitis superior lateral mass of atlas lateral half of the inferior nuchal line suboccipital nerve
obliquus capitis inferior spinous process of the axis lateral mass of atlas suboccipital nerve
Neck -- Neck
This is a table of skeletal muscles of the human anatomy. There are around 640 skeletal muscles within the typical human body. Almost every muscle constitutes one part of a pair of identical bilateral muscles, found on both sides, resulting in approximately 320 pairs of muscles, as presented
in this article. Nevertheless, the exact number is difficult to define because different sources group muscles differently, e.g. regarding what is defined as different parts of a single muscle or as several muscles. The muscles of the human body can be categorized into a number of groups which include muscles relating to the head and neck, muscles of the torso or trunk, muscles of the upper limbs, and muscles of the lower limbs. The action refers to the action of each muscle from the standard anatomical position. In other positions, other actions may be performed. These muscles are described using anatomical terminology.