Posterior Ramus of Fifth Cervical Nerve (Left)
Ramus posterior nervi cervicalis quinti
Read moreQuick Facts
Origin: Fifth cervical nerve.
Course: Winds posteriorly around the C5 articular pillar.
Branches: Medial and lateral branches.
Supply: Motor innervation to semispinalis capitis, multifidus, interspinales, longissimus colli, splenius colli, and iliocostalis colli muscles. Sensory innervation to the skin of the posterior neck.
Related parts of the anatomy
Origin
The posterior ramus of fifth cervical nerve is one of two branches of the fifth cervical nerve, the other being the anterior ramus.
Course
The posterior ramus of the fifth cervical nerve runs backwards and winds around the articular pillar of C5 vertebra.
Branches
The posterior ramus of the fifth cervical nerve gives rise to medial and lateral branches.
Supplied Structures
The lateral branch of the dorsal ramus of the fifth cervical nerve provides motor somatic innervation to the longissimus colli, splenius colli, and iliocostalis colli muscles. Those fibers which pass through the medial branch provide motor innervation to multifidus, semispinalis colli, semispinalis capitis, and trapezius, before becoming cutaneous.
The sensory afferent neurons, which provide innervation to the skin above the trapezius transmit general sensory information regarding pain, touch, pressure, vibration, etc. via the medial branch of posterior ramus.
