Rectus capitis posterior minor muscle

The rectus capitis posterior major muscle is one of the suboccipital muscles.{{Cite book |last=Standring |first=Susan |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1201341621 |title=Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice |year=2020 |isbn=978-0-7020-7707-4 |edition=42th |location=New York |pages=848–849 |oclc=1201341621}}

The muscle extends vertically superior-ward from its inferiro attachment to its superior attachment.{{Cite book |last=Sinnatamby |first=Chummy S. |title=Last's Anatomy |publisher= Elsevier Australia|year=2011 |isbn=978-0-7295-3752-0 |edition=12th |pages=430}} The muscle becomes broader superiorly.

The inferior attachment is (by a narrow tendon) onto the posterior tubercle of the posterior arch of atlas.

Its superior attachment is onto the medial portion of the inferior nuchal line and the external surface of the occipital bone inferior to it (between this line superiorly and the foramen magnum inferiorly).

The muscle usually also additionally attaches onto the posterior atlantooccipital membrane (which is in turn attached onto adjacent dura mater of the spinal canal).

The muscle receives motor innervation from the suboccipital nerve (the posterior ramus of cervical spinal nerve C1).

The muscle of either side may be doubled (along its length).

The muscle is a weak extensor of the head.

The synergists are the rectus capitis posterior major and the obliquus capitis superior.{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}

Connective tissue bridges were noted at the atlanto-occipital joint between the rectus capitis posterior minor (RCPm) muscle and the dorsal spinal dura.{{Cite journal |last=Hack |first=Gary D. |last2=Koritzer |first2=Richard T. |last3=Robinson |first3=Walker L. |last4=Hallgren |first4=Richard C. |last5=Greenman |first5=Philip E. |date= |title=Anatomic Relation between the Rectus Capitis Posterior Minor Muscle and the Dura Mater |url=https://journals.lww.com/spinejournal/Abstract/1995/12000/Anatomic_Relation_between_the_Rectus_Capitis.3.aspx |journal=Spine |language=en-US |volume=20 |issue=23 |pages=2484 |issn=0362-2436}} Similar connective tissue connections of the rectus capitis posterior major have been reported recently as well.{{Cite journal |last=Scali |first=Frank |last2=Marsili |first2=Eric S. |last3=Pontell |first3=Matthew E. |date=2011-12-01 |title=Anatomical Connection Between the Rectus Capitis Posterior Major and the Dura Mater |url=https://journals.lww.com/spinejournal/abstract/2011/12010/anatomical_connection_between_the_rectus_capitis.22.aspx |journal=Spine |language=en-US |volume=36 |issue=25 |pages=E1612 |doi=10.1097/BRS.0b013e31821129df |issn=0362-2436|url-access=subscription }} The perpendicular arrangement of these fibers appears to restrict dural movement toward the spinal cord. The ligamentum nuchae was found to be continuous with the posterior cervical spinal dura and the lateral portion of the occipital bone. Anatomic structures innervated by cervical nerves C1-C3 have the potential to cause headache pain. Included are the joint complexes of the upper three cervical segments, the dura mater, and spinal cord.{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}

The dura-muscular (myodural) and dura-ligamentous connections in the upper cervical spine and occipital areas may provide anatomic and physiologic answers to the cause of the cervicogenic headache.{{cite journal |author1=Gary D. Hack |author2=Peter Ratiu |author3=John P. Kerr |author4=Gwendolyn F. Dunn |author5=Mi Young Toh |title=Visualization of the Muscle-Dural Bridge in the Visible Human Female Data Set |journal=The Visible Human Project, National Library of Medicine |url=https://www.nlm.nih.gov/research/visible/vhp_conf/hack2/hack2.htm}} The level of strain at which RCPm muscle fibers began to tear as a result of overstretching has been estimated to be 30%.{{Cite journal |last=Hallgren |first=Richard C. |date=2017-02-01 |title=Injury Threshold of Rectus Capitis Muscles at the Atlanto-occipital Joint |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0161475416303025 |journal=Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics |volume=40 |issue=2 |pages=71–76 |doi=10.1016/j.jmpt.2016.11.001 |issn=0161-4754|doi-access=free }} This would be expected to put them at risk of injury during whiplash-type distortions when the occipitoatlantal (OA) joint is flexed upon impact.{{Cite journal |last=Grauer |first=Jonathan N. |last2=Panjabi |first2=Manohar M. |last3=Cholewicki |first3=Jacek |last4=Nibu |first4=Kimio |last5=Dvorak |first5=Jiri |date=1997-11-01 |title=Whiplash Produces an S-Shaped Curvature of the Neck With Hyperextension at Lower Levels |url=https://journals.lww.com/spinejournal/abstract/1997/11010/whiplash_produces_an_s_shaped_curvature_of_the.5.aspx |journal=Spine |language=en-US |volume=22 |issue=21 |pages=2489 |issn=0362-2436}} Tearing of the muscle fibers would result in fatty infiltration (FI) that would be expected to impact the functional relationship between the RCPm muscles and the pain sensitive spinal dura.{{Cite journal |last=Kong |first=Andrew |last2=Van der Vliet |first2=Andrew |last3=Zadow |first3=Steven |date=2007-07-01 |title=MRI and US of gluteal tendinopathy in greater trochanteric pain syndrome |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-006-0485-x |journal=European Radiology |language=en |volume=17 |issue=7 |pages=1772–1783 |doi=10.1007/s00330-006-0485-x |issn=1432-1084|url-access=subscription }} While FI and/or a reduction in the cross sectional area (CSA) of active muscle would not be expected to be the direct cause of chronic headache, it is known that muscle pathology will result in functional deficits. Pathologies in RCPm muscles in conjunction with the myodural bridge can compromise the normal functional relationship between the RCPm and the pain sensitive dura mater{{Cite journal |last=Enix |first=Dennis E. |last2=Scali |first2=Frank |last3=Pontell |first3=Matthew E. |date=June 2014 |title=The cervical myodural bridge, a review of literature and clinical implications |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24932022 |journal=The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association |volume=58 |issue=2 |pages=184–192 |issn=0008-3194 |pmc=4025088 |pmid=24932022}} and result in referred head and neck pain. This could help to explain manipulation's efficacy in the treatment of cervicogenic headache.{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}

File:Rectus capitis posterior minor muscle animation small.gif|Position of rectus capitis posterior minor muscle (shown in red). Animation.

File:Rectus capitis posterior minor muscle lateral.png |Lateral view of human skull (rectus capitis posterior minor shown in red.)

File:Gray129.png|Occipital bone. Outer surface.

• Atlanto-occipital joint
• Rectus capitis lateralis
• Rectus capitis posterior major muscle
• Rectus capitis anterior muscle

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{{Commons category| Rectus capitis posterior minor muscles}}

• {{SUNYAnatomyFigs|01|07|01}}
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• [https://web.archive.org/web/20050804024427/http://www.ptcentral.com/muscles/musclehead.html#rectus%20capitis%20posterior%20minor PTCentral]

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Category:Muscles of the head and neck