A Posterior View of the Third Lesser Occipital Nerve of a Human Male

Description

Arising from the upper cervical region, the third lesser occipital nerve is traced in posterior view as it courses superiorly along the posterolateral neck toward the scalp margin near the occipital bone. Bony landmarks on the back of the skull, including the lambdoid suture and adjacent occipital region, sit superior to the cervical vertebrae and posterior to the upper cervical spinal cord. Cutaneous branches track laterally toward the auricular region, with the pinnae framing the field on each side and helping orient medial and lateral relationships at the nuchal line. Posterior neck sensory anatomy is often taught as a blur of overlapping territories, so isolating this nerve’s ascent from the suboccipital and upper cervical levels clarifies where symptoms localize when patients report burning pain or dysesthesia along the posterolateral scalp. Occipital neuralgia discussions typically focus on the greater and lesser occipital nerves, but third occipital nerve irritation (classically associated with C2 to C3 zygapophysial joint pathology) can mimic them and changes the target for diagnostic blocks. A small nerve, big consequences. Use this artwork in head and neck anatomy courses when mapping cervical dorsal rami to scalp sensory fields, or in pain medicine and spine texts illustrating how upper cervical sources refer pain to the occiput and peri-auricular skin. It also supports procedural education for landmark-based nerve blocks and radiofrequency denervation discussions around the C2 to C3 region, where precision depends on knowing which occipital nerve you are treating. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.