ACTION: extends and rotates head
REFERRAL: posterior skull and temples

COMMENTS:These small posterior neck muscles do a lot of the work of moving our head around. Fully 45 degrees of rotation can happen just at the top between the atlas and axis. These muscles stabilize this area. Tension in these muscles can contribute to headaches. To reach these muscles, you must sink through the splenius capitis and semispinalis capitis first.