Neck 53235 222766625 2008-07-01T00:32:19Z DaughterofSun 6715754 /* External links */ interwiki {{otheruses}}{{Nofootnotes|date=June 2008}} {{Infobox Anatomy | Name = {{PAGENAME}} | Latin = collum | GraySubject = | GrayPage = | Image = | Caption = | Image2 = | Caption2 = | Precursor = | System = | Artery = | Vein = | Nerve = | Lymph = | MeshName = | MeshNumber = | DorlandsPre = c_46 | DorlandsSuf = 12249447 | }} The '''neck''' is the part of the [[body]] on many limbed [[vertebrates]] that distinguishes the [[head (anatomy)|head]] from the [[torso]] or trunk. ==Anatomy of the human neck== ===Bony anatomy: The cervical spine=== The cervical portion of the ''[[vertebral column|human spine]]'' comprises seven bony segments, typically referred to as C-1 to C-7, with cartilaginous discs between each vertebral body. The neck supports the weight of the head and protects the nerves that carry sensory and motor information from the [[brain]] down to the rest of the body. In addition, the neck is highly flexible and allows the head to turn and flex in all directions. From top to bottom the cervical spine is gently curved in convex-forward fashion. It is the least marked of all the curves of the column. ===Soft tissue anatomy=== In the middle line below the [[chin]] can be felt the body of the [[hyoid bone]], just below which is the prominence of the [[thyroid cartilage]] called "[[Adam's apple]]," better marked in men than in women. Still lower the [[cricoid cartilage]] is easily felt, while between this and the [[suprasternal notch]] the [[vertebrate trachea|trachea]] and isthmus of the [[thyroid gland]] may be made out. At the side the outline of the [[sternomastoid muscle]] is the most striking mark; it divides the anterior triangle of the neck from the posterior. The upper part of the former contains the [[submaxillary gland]] also known as the parotid glands, which lies just below the posterior half of the body of the [[jaw]]. The line of the [[common carotid artery|common]] and the [[external carotid arteries]] may be marked by joining the sterno-clavicular articulation to the angle of the jaw. The eleventh or [[spinal accessory nerve]] corresponds to a line drawn from a point midway between the angle of the jaw and the mastoid process to the middle of the posterior border of the sterno-mastoid muscle and thence across the posterior triangle to the deep surface of the [[trapezius]]. The external [[jugular vein]] can usually be seen through the skin; it runs in a line drawn from the angle of the jaw to the middle of the [[clavicle]], and close to it are some small lymphatic glands. The [[anterior jugular vein]] is smaller, and runs down about half an inch from the middle line of the neck. The [[clavicle]] or collar-bone forms the lower limit of the neck, and laterally the outward slope of the neck to the shoulder is caused by the [[trapezius muscle]]. {{-}} == Neck pain == Disorders of the neck are a common source of pain. The neck has a great deal of functionality but is also subject to a lot of stress. Common sources of neck pain (and related pain syndromes, such as pain that radiates down the arm) include: * [[Whiplash (medicine)|Whiplash]], strained muscle or other soft tissue injury * Cervical [[spinal disc herniation|herniated disc]] * Cervical [[spinal stenosis]] * [[Osteoarthritis]] * Vascular sources of pain, like [[artery|arterial]] dissections or [[internal jugular vein]] [[venous thrombosis|thrombosis]] ==See also== * [[Anatomy]] * [[Anterior triangle of the neck]] * [[Chronic pain]] * [[Hanging]] * [[Throat]] * [[Torticollis]] * [[Nape]] * [[Neck spasm]] * [[Posterior triangle of the neck]] * [[Spinal cord]] * [[Vertebra]] == External links == {{wiktionary}} * [http://www.ahns.info/ American Head and Neck Society] * [http://www.anatomywiz.com The Anatomy Wiz.] An Interactive Cross-Sectional Anatomy Atlas {{human anatomical features}} {{Neck general}} [[Category:Head and neck|*]] [[ar:رقبة]] [[gn:Ajúra]] [[ay:Kunka]] [[ca:Coll (anatomia)]] [[cv:Мăй]] [[cs:Krk]] [[da:Hals]] [[de:Hals]] [[et:Kael]] [[es:Cuello]] [[eo:Kolo]] [[eu:Lepo]] [[fr:Cou]] [[gd:Amhach]] [[ko:목]] [[it:Collo]] [[he:צוואר]] [[la:Collum]] [[lt:Kaklas]] [[nl:Nek (anatomie)]] [[nn:Hals]] [[pag:Bekleo]] [[pl:Szyja]] [[pt:Pescoço]] [[qu:Kunka]] [[ru:Шея]] [[sq:Qafa]] [[sk:Krk]] [[fi:Kaula]] [[sv:Hals]] [[tl:Leeg]] [[th:คอ]] [[wa:Hatrea]] [[yi:גענאק]] [[zh:頸]]