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What is the most significant muscle of the neck?

The most important muscle of the neck is the trapezius, which runs all the way down the back and is responsible for lifting and holding up the weight of the head. This is by far the strongest neck muscle, as well as the one that people are most likely to strain or injure.

Other important neck muscles include the platysma, which is on the front of the neck and is responsible for pulling the head forward and downward, and the sternocleidomastoid, which twists along the side of the neck and is responsible for flexing and rotating the neck.

There are several other minor muscles in the neck as well, and considerable redundancy in terms of any given motion; of particular note: the levator scapulae (as its Latin name implies) is responsible for holding up the shoulder blades, the splenius lies under the trapezius and supports it in pulling the head back, and the infrahyoid muscles lie under the hyoid bone and move it during swallowing and speech.

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