| Obliquus capitis inferior muscle | |
|---|---|
 Deep muscles of the back. (Obliq. infer. labeled at upper left.) | |
| Details | |
| Origin | Spinous process of the axis |
| Insertion | Lateral mass of atlas |
| Nerve | Suboccipital nerve |
| Actions | Rotation of head and neck |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | musculus obliquus capitis inferior |
| TA98 | A04.2.02.007 |
| TA2 | 2252 |
| FMA | 32528 |
| Anatomical terms of muscle | |
The obliquus capitis inferior muscle (/əˈblaɪkwəs ˈkæpɪtɪs/) is a muscle in the upper back of the neck. It is one of the suboccipital muscles. Its inferior attachment is at the spinous process of the axis; its superior attachment is at the transverse process of the atlas. It is innervated by the suboccipital nerve (the posterior ramus of first cervical spinal nerve). The muscle rotates the head to its side.
Despite what its name suggest, it is the only capitis (Latin: "head") muscle that does not actually attach to the skull.