The nape of the neck is located at the back of the neck. It's made up of seven vertebrae called the cervical vertebrae. These vertebrae are kept from grinding against each other by spongy disks made largely of collagen.
All the cervical vertebrae have an opening, called the vertebral foramen, that allows nerves to pass through. These include the spinal cord and the cervical spinal nerves that branch out from it.
Muscles that control the movement of the head, including the trapezius, sternocleidomastoid and splenius captitis muscles, pass through the nape of the neck. The nape also has ligaments and tendons.
