Longus colli muscle

At a glance

English

Longus colli muscle

Latin (TA2)

Musculus longus colli

System

Muscle

Region

Neck

Side

Paired, left and right

About the longus colli muscle

Longus colli, the long muscle of the neck, lies directly on the front of the cervical spine, behind the pharynx, oesophagus and great vessels. It stretches from the atlas down to the third thoracic vertebra, and is broadest in its middle and pointed at both ends. It is the deepest and most medial of the prevertebral muscles and is covered in front by the prevertebral layer of the deep cervical fascia.

It is made of three parts. The vertical part, the largest, runs from the vertebral bodies of C5 to T3 up to the bodies of C2 to C4. The superior oblique part rises from the front tubercles of the C3 to C5 transverse processes and slants inwards to the atlas, ending on its anterior tubercle. The inferior oblique part, the smallest, runs from the bodies of T1 to T3 upwards and outwards to the anterior tubercles of C5 and C6.

Acting on both sides, longus colli flexes the neck and, importantly, holds the cervical curve steady from the front, acting as a deep stabiliser against the extensors behind. Acting on one side, its oblique parts help bend the neck sideways and turn it slightly. Weakness or poor control of this deep flexor is linked with neck pain, and it is a common target in neck rehabilitation.

It is supplied by ventral rami of C2 to C6 and receives blood from the vertebral, inferior thyroid and ascending cervical arteries. It is often strained in rear-end collisions, when the head is thrown backwards, and some think this contributes to loss of the normal neck curve after whiplash. Calcium deposits in its upper tendon can cause acute calcific tendinitis, with sudden neck pain, stiffness and painful swallowing; imaging shows the calcification and swelling in front of the spine, which must be told apart from an abscess there. Treatment is with anti-inflammatory drugs and rest.

Attachments, action and supply

Origin

Bodies of C5 to T3 and anterior tubercles of the C3 to C5 transverse processes.

Insertion

Anterior tubercle of the atlas, bodies of C2 to C4, and anterior tubercles of the C5 and C6 transverse processes.

Action

Flexes and stabilises the cervical spine; one side helps bend and rotate the neck.

Nerve supply

Ventral rami of C2 to C6.

Blood supply

Vertebral, inferior thyroid and ascending cervical arteries.