To use all functions of this page, please activate cookies in your browser.
my.bionity.com
With an accout for my.bionity.com you can always see everything at a glance – and you can configure your own website and individual newsletter.
- My watch list
- My saved searches
- My saved topics
- My newsletter
Sternocleidomastoid muscle
In human anatomy, the sternocleidomastoid (pronounced /ˌstɚ.noˌkli.dəˈmæs.tɔɪ̯d/) muscles are anterior muscles in the neck that act to flex and rotate the head. It also acts as an accessory muscle of inspiration, along with the scalene muscles of the neck. Additional recommended knowledge
EtymologyIt is given the name sternocleidomastoid because it originates with the (manubrium)/sternum (sterno-) and clavicle (cleido-), and articulates with the mastoid process of the temporal bone of the skull. It is also called the sternomastoid muscle. Origins and insertions of the two headsThe Sternocleidomastoideus (Sternomastoid muscle) passes obliquely across the side of the neck. It is thick and narrow at its central part, but broader and thinner at either end. It arises from the sternum and clavicle by two heads.
The two heads are separated from one another at their origins by a triangular interval, but gradually blend, below the middle of the neck, into a thick, rounded muscle which is inserted, by a strong tendon, into the lateral surface of the mastoid process, from its apex to its superior border, and by a thin aponeurosis into the lateral half of the superior nuchal line of the occipital bone. VariationsThe Sternocleidomastoideus varies much in the extent of its origin from the clavicle: in some cases the clavicular head may be as narrow as the sternal; in others it may be as much as 7.5 cm. in breadth. When the clavicular origin is broad, it is occasionally subdivided into several slips, separated by narrow intervals. More rarely, the adjoining margins of the Sternocleidomastoideus and Trapezius have been found in contact. The Supraclavicularis muscle arises from the manubrium behind the Sternocleidomastoideus (also known as the wing and named after a large prehistoric bird) and passes behind the Sternocleidomastoideus to the upper surface of the clavicle. Cultural significance
Additional images
This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Sternocleidomastoid_muscle". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia. |