Splenius cervicis origin includes which of the following?

Splenius cervicis origin includes which of the following?

• A. Nuchal ligament and C7-T3/4
• B. Nuchal ligament and C2-C5
• C. Spinous processes T1-T4
• D. Mastoid process

Answer: (A)

The muscle’s origin sits at the junction of the nuchal ligament and the spinous processes of the lower cervical to upper thoracic spine. In splenius cervicis, that origin is described as the inferior part of the nuchal ligament together with spinous processes around C7 to T3/4, from which the muscle fibers run upward to attach to the upper cervical transverse processes. This arrangement lets the muscle extend the neck when both sides contract and rotate or laterally flex the head when contracting unilaterally. So, the option listing the nuchal ligament with C7 to T3/4 matches the known origin pattern. The other choices don’t fit: the mastoid process is an insertion site for splenius capitis, not a cervicis origin; the spinous processes T1-T4 don’t capture the full origin span that includes the nuchal ligament and the lower cervical region; and origins limited to C2-C5 miss the lower thoracic contribution that characterizes splenius cervicis.

The muscle’s origin sits at the junction of the nuchal ligament and the spinous processes of the lower cervical to upper thoracic spine. In splenius cervicis, that origin is described as the inferior part of the nuchal ligament together with spinous processes around C7 to T3/4, from which the muscle fibers run upward to attach to the upper cervical transverse processes. This arrangement lets the muscle extend the neck when both sides contract and rotate or laterally flex the head when contracting unilaterally.

So, the option listing the nuchal ligament with C7 to T3/4 matches the known origin pattern. The other choices don’t fit: the mastoid process is an insertion site for splenius capitis, not a cervicis origin; the spinous processes T1-T4 don’t capture the full origin span that includes the nuchal ligament and the lower cervical region; and origins limited to C2-C5 miss the lower thoracic contribution that characterizes splenius cervicis.