Greater Occipital Nerve

The occipital nerves are a system of four pairs of cranial nerves that innervate the occipital, posterior auricular, upper cervical, and upper thoracic regions (spinal cord). They are often united as a pair of II, III, IV and V nerves.

The \-I and \-II nerves receive fibers from the greater and lesser occipital nerves (\-\- _ramus major et minor nervi occipitales_) and the greater occipital muscle (m. trapezius), respectively. A pair of nerves II and III innervate the major and minor occipito-cervical muscles.

Nerves of the neck and upper thoracic region IY and Y are also branches of the greater occipital nerve root, which descends from the base of the skull, crosses the posterior part of the jugular foramen and in the cervical muscles divides into IY (cutaneous nerve of the neck) and Y nerves. These two branches are innervated as branches of the brachial plexus. A pair of nerves IY, IIY and IIIY also innervate the skin over the base of the skull. Divided into the thoracolumbar section of the neck (IV and YII), they provide innervation to the sternoclavicular