Name

# Longissimus Capitis

Pronunciation

(lon-GIS-I-mus KAP-I-tus)

Origin/Proximal Attachment

Transverse processes of C4 - T4

Insertion/Distal Attachment

Posterior margin of mastoid process of temporal bone

Action/Relevance

Extension of the head, rotation to same side

Innervation

Middle & lower cervical nerves

Notes

Lies medial to the Longissimus cervicis, between it and the Semispinalis capitis. It arises by tendons from the transverse processes of the upper four or five thoracic vertebrę, and the articular processes of the lower three or four cervical vertebrę, and is inserted into the posterior margin of the mastoid process, beneath the Splenius capitis and Sternocleidomastoideus. It is almost always crossed by a tendinous intersection near its insertion.