| Latin | Venter frontalis musculi occipitofrontalis |
|---|---|
| Origin |
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| Insertion |
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| Action |
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| Nerve | Facial nerve (CN VII), temporal branch |
| Name | Latin frons, 'forehead'. |
Palpation
- Client supine; sit at the head of the table.
- Rest your finger pads flat on the forehead, between the eyebrows and the hairline.
- Feel a thin, soft layer that moves with the skin over the frontal bone; there is no bony attachment to find.
- Ask the client to raise the eyebrows as if surprised; feel the muscle tighten and the forehead skin bunch into horizontal lines under your fingers.
The frontalis covers the forehead. It has no attachment to bone: it runs from the galea aponeurotica (the sheet of tissue over the top of the skull) down to the skin of the eyebrows. Many clients hold tension here when they concentrate, squint at screens or feel worried, and forehead strokes are a common, calming part of Head, face and scalp — 20 min.
Use light pressure. Slow strokes from the centre of the forehead out to the temples, gentle circular friction along the hairline, and a still, warm hand resting across the forehead are all used in face massage. Clients commonly report these as soothing. Use little or no oil near the eyes, and keep your strokes away from the eyelids.
The frontalis and Occipitalis are joined by the galea aponeurotica and together move the scalp, so work both for a complete scalp massage. Some references (including the international anatomical terminology, Terminologia Anatomica) treat them as the two bellies of a single muscle, the occipitofrontalis, while others list them separately. The Orbicularis oculi opposes frontalis by closing the eye and pulling the eyebrow down.