Scalene muscles

The scalene muscles are a group of three muscles on each side of the neck, identified as the anterior, the middle, and the posterior. They are innervated by the third to the eighth cervical spinal nerves (C3-C8).

The anterior and middle scalene muscles lift the first rib and bend the neck to the side they are on. The posterior scalene lifts the second rib and tilts the neck to the same side.

The muscles are named from the Ancient Greekσκαληνός (skalēnós), meaning 'uneven'.