sternocleidomastoid muscle

paired muscle of the neck that traverses the neck between the manubrium sterni and the mastoid process
AnatomicalStructure class_of_anatomical_entity Q272830
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Summary

sternocleidomastoid muscle is a class of anatomical entity[1]. It draws 8,757 Wikipedia views per month (class of anatomical entity category, ranking #179 of 1,372).[2]

Key Facts

  • Instance of: chiral muscle organ type[3]
  • Subclass of: superficial muscle of neck[4], particular anatomical entity[5]
  • Part of: muscle of neck[6]
  • Commons category: Sternocleidomastoid muscles[7]
  • Commons gallery: Sternocleidomastoid muscle[8]
  • Described by source: Gray's Anatomy (20th edition)[9]
  • Arterial supply: sternocleidomastoid branches of occipital artery[10], inferior thyroid artery[11], sternocleidomastoid branch of superior thyroid artery[12]
  • Venous drainage: sternocleidomastoid vein[13]
  • Innervated by: Anterior ramus of sixth cervical nerve[14], spinal part of the accessory nerve[15], Anterior ramus of third cervical nerve[16], spinal accessory nerve[17]
  • Muscle action: flexion of the neck[18], flexion of the head[19], lateral flexion of the neck[20], lateral flexion of the head and neck[21], rotation of the head[22], rotation of the neck[23]
  • Muscle origin: clavicle[24], manubrium[25]
  • Muscle insertion: mastoid process[26], superior nuchal line[27]

Why It Matters

sternocleidomastoid muscle has Wikipedia articles in 24 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[28] It is known by 63 alternative names across languages and contexts.[29]

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [3] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  2. [4] ↑ . Foundational Model of Anatomy. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  3. [5] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  4. [6] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  5. [7] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  6. [8] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  7. [9] ↑ . bartleby.com. Retrieved . bartleby.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  8. [10] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  9. [11] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  10. [12] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  11. [13] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  12. [14] ↑ . Anatomy and Human Movement Structure and Function 6th edition. wikidata.org.
  13. [15] ↑ . Anatomy and Human Movement Structure and Function 6th edition. wikidata.org.
  14. [16] ↑ . Anatomy and Human Movement Structure and Function 6th edition. wikidata.org.
  15. [17] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  16. [18] ↑ . Anatomy and Human Movement Structure and Function 6th edition. wikidata.org.
  17. [19] ↑ . Anatomy and Human Movement Structure and Function 6th edition. wikidata.org.
  18. [20] ↑ . Anatomy and Human Movement Structure and Function 6th edition. wikidata.org.
  19. [21] ↑ . Anatomy and Human Movement Structure and Function 6th edition. wikidata.org.
  20. [22] ↑ . Anatomy and Human Movement Structure and Function 6th edition. wikidata.org.
  21. [23] ↑ . Anatomy and Human Movement Structure and Function 6th edition. wikidata.org.
  22. [24] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  23. [25] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  24. [26] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  25. [27] ↑ . wikidata.org.

Class ancestry

  1. [1] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [2] ↑ . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [28] ↑ . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [29] ↑ . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

📑 Cite this page

Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). sternocleidomastoid muscle. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/sternocleidomastoid-muscle
MLA “sternocleidomastoid muscle.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 18 Oct. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/sternocleidomastoid-muscle.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_sternocleidomastoid-muscle_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{sternocleidomastoid muscle}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/sternocleidomastoid-muscle}, note = {Accessed: 2026-10-18}}
LLM prompt According to 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph (aggregator of Wikidata, Wikipedia, and authoritative open-data sources): sternocleidomastoid muscle — https://4ort.xyz/entity/sternocleidomastoid-muscle (retrieved 2026-10-18)

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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 2d ago · OKA bot bot · 2026-10-16 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Subclass of → —
    Part of → —
    Innervated by → Anterior ramus of sixth cervical nerve, spinal part of the accessory nerve, Anterior ramus of third cervical nerve +1
    Instance of → class of anatomical entity, chiral muscle organ type
    + 13 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbeditentity-update-languages-and-other-short:0||nb */ SML ID sternokleidomastoideus deprecated (now SML musculus_sternocleidomastoideus), SML ID musculus_sternocleidomastoideus, other names from S"
Live feed via Wikidata EventStreams. New edits appear within minutes of being made on Wikidata.