| Obliquus capitis superior muscle | |
|---|---|
 Skull seen from behind (obliquus capitis superior shown in red) | |
 Obliquus capitis superior (red) and its relationship to other suboccipital muscles. | |
| Details | |
| Origin | Lateral mass of atlas |
| Insertion | Lateral half of the inferior nuchal line |
| Nerve | Suboccipital nerve |
| Actions | Extends head and flex head to the ipsilateral side |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | musculus obliquus capitis superior |
| TA98 | A04.2.02.006 |
| TA2 | 2251 |
| FMA | 32527 |
| Anatomical terms of muscle | |
The obliquus capitis superior muscle (/əˈblaɪkwəs ˈkæpɪtɪs/) is a small[citation needed] muscle in the upper back part of the neck. It is one of the suboccipital muscles. It attaches inferiorly at the transverse process of the atlas (first cervical vertebra); it attaches superiorly at the external surface of the occipital bone. The muscle is innervated by the suboccipital nerve (the posterior ramus of the first cervical spinal nerve).
It acts at the atlanto-occipital joint[citation needed] to extend the head and bend the head to the same side.