Massage.
LandmarkNeckDraft

C7 spinous process

The most prominent bump at the base of the neck; the reference point for counting vertebrae.

Abbrev.C7
BoneSeventh cervical vertebra (vertebra prominens)
RegionNeck

Find it

  1. Client seated or prone with the chin slightly tucked.
  2. Run a fingertip down the midline of the back of the neck until you meet the first large, obvious bump. That is usually C7.
  3. Confirm it: keep a finger on the bump and the one below, then ask the client to slowly turn the head. C6 moves under the finger; C7 barely moves, and T1 stays still.

C7 is where the ligamentum nuchae ends and the spinous processes become easy to feel. The Trapezius takes part of its origin here.

Muscles attaching or palpated here

  • Rhomboid minor — Small band-like muscle from the base of the neck to the top of the scapula's medial border that retracts the scapula and holds it against the ribs.
  • Semispinalis capitis — Thick, rope-like muscle beside the cervical spine, deep to trapezius and splenius, that extends the head and helps tilt and turn it.
  • Serratus posterior — Two thin sheets of muscle (superior and inferior) connecting the spine to the ribs under the rhomboids and latissimus dorsi, with a minor role in breathing.
  • Splenius capitis — Broad, strap-like muscle at the back of the neck that extends the head and turns and tilts it to the same side.
  • Trapezius — Large diamond-shaped muscle of the upper back and neck that moves and stabilises the scapula.

Sources

  1. OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, 7.3 The Vertebral Column