Surface Palpation - Spine - Bones
External Occipital Protuberance of the Skull
Standing, sitting, or lying prone
 
Posterior to the patient.
 
Please stand. May I touch the back of your head? (or point to the area).
Place multiple fingers or your flat hand on the mid part of the posterior skull and gently sense for a bony prominence. With difficulty in palpation, ask the patient to elevate the scapula and/or provide additional resistance to elevation, while you follow the upper trapezius to its attachment site on the posterior skull. The right and left upper trapezius meet at the external occipital protuberance.
VH - Skeleton of the trunk, neck and head, posterior view On one side, upper trapezius