The splenius capitis muscle extends and laterally flexes the head and neck at spinal joints, starting from its origins at nuchal ligament and C3-C7 spinous processes before inserting at mastoid process of temporal bone mastoid process and the lateral third of superior nuchal line on occiput bone.
Effective Stretches for Alleviating Splenius Capitis Muscle Tension
The splenius capitis muscle is one of the deep muscles located at the back of your neck that contracts when contracted to flex and rotate your head in opposite direction from its original position. Innervated by posterior rami spinal nerves C3 and C4, when this muscle tightens or harbors trigger points it can lead to pain at the vertex (top of head) and cause neck stiffness with limited or painful rotation of your neck.
Therapists can devise stretching exercise plans designed to relieve splenius capitis syndrome symptoms. After carefully evaluating each case individually and generating an individualized treatment plan for you, this therapy might include stretching exercises or massage treatments; medications or injections may be suggested to relieve symptoms.
Neck flexion and extension exercises can help stretch your splenius capitis muscle. A straightforward stretch involves lowering your chin toward your chest (flexion). Hold this position for five to 10 seconds before repeating this exercise by extending backwards your head. Pectoral (or “pec”) muscles connect arms and shoulders with chest area or thorax; to stretch this area use palm facing each other with elbow bent at 90-degree angles upwards.
This exercise targets two muscles at the back of your neck that are essential for movement of both head and spine. These include the splenius capitis and teres minor, two of the key muscles for head and spine health. The splenius capitis muscle lies within the superficial layer of intrinsic neck muscles; it originates at the inferior half of ligamentum nuchae and spinous processes of 7th cervical vertebra and superior 3 thoracic vertebrae before inserting onto mastoid process of skull and lateral aspect occipital bone; finally it forms part of floor of posterior triangle of neck.
Massage Techniques to Relieve Tightness in the Splenius Capitis Muscle
The right splenius capitis muscle makes up one of the deep muscles located at the back of your neck. Often described as bandage-like in appearance, this deep muscle can contract bilaterally to extend neck/head extension; unilaterally to laterally flex neck extension; ipsilaterally for rotation of neck extension/flex. If this muscle becomes overly tight or contains active trigger points it may lead to vertex pain on top of head as well as neck/upper shoulder tension and cause headaches in this region of head/skull area headaches!
Splenius capitis is part of your deeper intrinsic, or core group, muscles in your back neck responsible for stability. Attaching to transverse processes of cervical vertebrae, these muscles can become tight from repeated movement; such as when sitting for long hours in front of a laptop or tablet. In addition, poor posture may contribute to tightening these muscles.
Massage can provide relief for certain forms of dysfunction. By targeting areas of dysfunction or imbalance in synergist and antagonist muscles that support this muscle, massage therapy can restore correct function while relieving pain.
Chronically tight right splenius capitis muscles can lead to issues in other supporting muscle groups like levator scapulae and semispinalis capitis resulting in pinched nerves – known as cervical radiculopathy – as well as tight scapulae which give an appearance of increased neck rounding.
Accessing these muscles may be challenging, as they’re covered by upper trapezius and sternocleidomastoid muscles. To palpate this muscle, place your fingers between these muscles and then rotate your head; once palpating this muscle you should feel it contract and twitch to help identify it.
As you massage this muscle, be sure to use short gliding strokes instead of long stretching ones in order to relax it and prevent headaches from occurring. This can help the muscle remain relaxed and help avoid potential triggers for headaches.
Targeted Exercises to Alleviate Splenius Capitis Muscle Discomfort
Splenius capitis is one of the deep muscles located at the back of your neck that works together with the splenius cervicis to rotate and flex your neck. When tightened up, this muscle can cause upper neck or head pain which may be alleviated through stretching, massage, or exercises that strengthen it.
The splenius capitis muscle extends from the spinous processes of your last seven cervical and first three thoracic vertebrae to your occipital bone at the base of your skull. Additionally, this muscle covers your mastoid process – an offshoot from its base which protrudes pyramidally – as part of the floor of the posterior triangle of your neck.
This muscle works in concert with its counterpart, the splenius cervicis, located directly beneath it, to extend and flex your neck. Although the trapezius and sternocleidomastoid muscles make palpating this muscle difficult, you can still feel its effect by placing your finger in between these two groups, then twisting and lowering your head toward your chest in what’s known as “flexion.”
When the splenius capitis muscle becomes stressed or inflamed, it can lead to upper neck and headache pain, pressure in your skull and blurred vision – symptoms that can be reduced with regular neck massages, stretching sessions and hot/cold treatments.
Acupuncture and dry needling offer effective myofascial release techniques for the splenius capitis muscle. Both techniques can break up knots that develop due to poor posture or trauma from car accidents or other injuries, or from neck and shoulder exercises like the Truweo Posture Corrector that gently pull back shoulders while training the body toward maintaining an healthy spine.
If you are experiencing symptoms of splenius capitis, it is essential that you contact a healthcare provider as soon as possible. They can recommend the most appropriate treatments for your neck pain; such as stretching or strengthening exercises designed to strengthen it or even myofascial release techniques like acupuncture.
Nourishing the Splenius Capitis Muscle
The Splenius Capitis muscle of the upper back forms part of its superficial layer of intrinsic back muscles and serves as a prime mover for head extension while aiding with lateral flexion and rotation of the neck. Furthermore, it forms the floor of posterior triangle of neck. Innervated by posterior rami spinal nerves C3 and C4, its primary nerve supply comes from C3.
Muscle fibers extend superiorly and laterally from their origin, inserting under cover of the sternocleidomastoideus muscle into the mastoid process – a pyramidal-shaped prominence on the base of the skull that’s pneumatised by mastoid air cells – as well as into rough surfaces of occipital bones nearer the superior nuchal line; additionally they insert just below lateral sections of superior nuchal lines where they meet up with semispinalis capitis and trapezius muscle as they run superiorly and laterally respectively to connect undercover of cover from other muscle fibers.
Study data revealed that the splenius capitis muscle responded more rapidly to unexpected frontal acceleration events than its counterparts sternocleidomastoideus, trapezius, and lower cervical spine muscles – suggesting its involvement with neck movement during sudden acceleration events.
Electrodes were attached to the belly of the sternocleidomastoides, trapezius at C4 level, and bilaterally to splenius capitis muscles using 10mm electrode spacing between each electrode; all grounded at acromioclavicular joint bony prominences for safety purposes. Each muscle was recorded after experiencing some period of resisted primary activity to ensure clean signals; they were stimulated for up to 30 seconds at a frequency of 0.5Hz before recording started.
At an acceleration of 13.7 meters/s2, splenius capitis generated 83% of its normalized maximal voluntary contraction electromyogram while the sternocleidomastoids and trapezius muscles generated 23%. Furthermore, at unexpected impact events the left (contralateral) splenius capitis produced more normalized maximal voluntary contraction electromyogram than its right (ipsilateral).
The splenius capitis muscle, along with splenius cervicis and sternocleidomastoides, serves as one of the primary drivers of head rotation and extension in healthy individuals. Dysfunction of this muscle may contribute to mechanical neck pain or whiplash injuries and be caused by overactivation of trapezius muscles or inhibition of Semispinalis Cervicis; stretching exercises designed to activate this muscle are effective ways of treating it.
