Muscle Review: Corrugator Supercilii

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What is a Corrugator Supercilii?

Corrugator Supercilii: Photo Credit: Wikimedia

Corrugator Supercilii: Photo Credit: Wikimedia

I have had great success using manual therapy to treat this muscle as part of a treatment protocol for headaches. The Corrugator Supercilii is a difficult name to remember, so I will keep the take home points for this blog post simple:

  • Corrugator Supercilii is a muscle that may be strained by habitual frowning.

  • This frowning action can compress the supratrochlear nerve (branch of the trigeminal nerve.)

  • This can contribute to deep aching frontal headaches.

  • This muscle is sometimes surgically severed or injected with Botox as a preventive treatment for some types of migraines.

More to Explore

Janis, J.E., Barker, J.C., Palettas, M. (2017). Targeted Peripheral Nerve-directed Onabotulinumtoxin A Injection for Effective Long-term Therapy for Migraine Headache. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. (OPEN ACCESS)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28458982

Janis, J.E., Hatef, D.A., ... Kurkjian, T.J. (2013). Anatomy of the supratrochlear nerve: implications for the surgical treatment of migraine headaches. Plast Reconstr Surg.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23249981 

Lee, H.J., Choi, K.S., Won, S.Y., ... Kim, H.J. (2015). Topographic Relationship between the Supratrochlear Nerve and Corrugator Supercilii Muscle--Can This Anatomical Knowledge Improve the Response to Botulinum Toxin Injections in Chronic Migraine? Toxins (Basel). (OPEN ACCESS).
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26193317