Cervical spinal nerve 4, also called C4, is a spinal nerve of the cervical segment. It originates from the

spinal cord The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular structure made up of nervous tissue, which extends from the medulla oblongata in the brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column (backbone). The backbone encloses the central canal of the spin ...

above the 4th cervical vertebra (C4). It contributes nerve fibers to the phrenic nerve, the

motor nerve A motor nerve is a nerve that transmits motor signals from the central nervous system (CNS) to the muscles of the body. This is different from the motor neuron, which includes a cell body and branching of dendrites, while the nerve is made up of ...

to the thoracoabdominal diaphragm. It also provides motor nerves for the longus capitis, longus colli,

anterior scalene The scalene muscles are a group of three pairs of muscles in the lateral neck, namely the anterior scalene, middle scalene, and posterior scalene. They are innervated by the third to the eight cervical spinal nerves (C3-C8). The anterior and m ...

, middle scalene, and levator scapulae muscles. C4 contributes some sensory fibers to the supraclavicular nerves, responsible for sensation from the skin above the

clavicle The clavicle, or collarbone, is a slender, S-shaped long bone approximately 6 inches (15 cm) long that serves as a strut between the shoulder blade and the sternum (breastbone). There are two clavicles, one on the left and one on the rig ...

Additional Images

File:Slide1y.JPG, Cervical spinal nerve 4 File:Projectional radiograph of cervical foraminal stenosis, annotated.jpg, Projectional radiograph of a man presenting with pain by the nape and left shoulder, showing a stenosis in the

intervertebral foramen The intervertebral foramen (also called neural foramen, and often abbreviated as IV foramen or IVF) is a foramen between two spinal vertebrae. Cervical, thoracic, and lumbar vertebrae all have intervertebral foramina. The foramina, or open ...

of cervical spinal nerve 4, corresponding with the affected dermatome.

References

Spinal nerves {{neuroanatomy-stub