 In this video, I will identify the axial muscles of the cervical region and list the origin, insertion and action of major muscles in the cervical region. We'll start getting oriented to the location of the superficial muscles in the cervical region. The sternocleidomastoid is a major muscle responsible for the action of flexing or rotating the cervical vertebrae. So to flex the cervical vertebrae, to flex the head at the neck, or if just one sternocleidomastoid contracts, it will cause rotation of the cervical vertebrae to rotate the head at the neck. The spleenious muscle group has an opposite action, the spleenious muscles extend the cervical vertebrae to extend the head at the neck. Then here we can see the middle scalene and anterior scalene. There are three scalene muscles on each side, an anterior, middle and posterior scalene. The posterior scalene is located just deep to the levator scapulae and so we can't see it in this illustration. The action of the scalenes is to elevate the ribs. The other muscles we see here, levator scapulae and trapezius, are appendicular muscles and so we'll come back to them when we discuss the muscles that position the pectoral girdle. Here with an anterior view, zoomed in on the muscles that are involved in positioning the hyoid bone and the larynx. The larynx or the voice box is positioned along with the hyoid bone by muscles that insert onto the hyoid bone. The suprahyoid muscles are muscles located superior to the hyoid bone and have the action of elevating the hyoid bone and larynx. This includes the geniohyoid, digastric, mylohyoid and stylohyoid. In addition to elevating the hyoid bone and the larynx, geniohyoid, digastric and mylohyoid also have the action of depressing the mandible to open the jaw. Then the infrahyoid muscles, the thyrohyoid, omohyoid, sternohyoid and sternothyroid all have the action of depressing the hyoid bone and the larynx. Now the sternocleidomastoid is a large superficial muscle in the cervical region with its origin from the manubrium and the sternal end of the clavicle. Its insertion is the mastoid process of the temporal bone and its action is to flex or rotate the cervical vertebrae to flex or rotate the head at the neck. Here with a posterior view we can see the splenius muscle group. There's splenius capitis as well as splenius services. Together these muscles have the action of extending the cervical vertebrae to extend the head at the neck. Splenius capitis has its origin from the spinous processes of cervical vertebrae and inserts onto the temporal bone at the mastoid process to have that action of extending the cervical vertebrae when both the right and the left splenius contract or to rotate the cervical vertebrae to rotate the head at the neck. If splenius capitis on the right side contracts it would rotate the head to the right side and vice versa. Now here we see the middle scaling. The middle scaling has its origin from the transverse processes of the cervical vertebrae and its insertion into the first rib to have the action of elevating the ribs which is an action that helps with breathing to assist in expanding the thoracic cavity to draw air into the lungs during the act of inspiration or breathing in. But the scaling's muscle group has three muscles on each side anterior, middle and posterior. While both the anterior and middle scalings have their insertion onto the first rib the posterior scaling inserts onto the second rib. So together the scaling's muscle group has an origin from the transverse processes of cervical vertebrae and insertion onto ribs one and two to have that action of elevating the ribs to assist with inspiration drawing air into the lungs.