| Abbrev. | EOP |
|---|---|
| Bone | Occipital bone |
| Region | Head & face |
Find it
- Client prone with the forehead in the face cradle, or supine with the head resting in your hands.
- Place your fingertips in the midline at the back of the neck and slide them up over the soft hollow until you meet the skull.
- The first firm, rounded bump in the midline of the skull is the EOP; its highest point is called the inion. Its size varies a lot between people.
- Slide your fingers sideways from it along the ridge of the superior nuchal line, which runs out towards the mastoid process.
The ligamentum nuchae and the upper fibres of trapezius attach to the EOP and to the inner part of the superior nuchal line beside it. Gray’s also lists sternocleidomastoid and splenius capitis inserting further out along the superior nuchal line, and semispinalis capitis inserting just below it.
The suboccipital muscles lie deep to these and attach around the inferior nuchal line, and occipitalis covers the skull above. The EOP is a handy start point when working along the base of the skull.