INTRODUCTION The cervical spine is a complex mechanical system with many degrees of freedom. The multiple muscles of the cervical spine act to support and move the head in three-dimensional space. Work-related neck pain is a common problem in society [1], and changes in motor control of the cervical spine have been documented in this population. A prerequisite for understanding the development of neck pain and devising suitable treatment strategies, is quantification of the loading of the muscles and the structures of the cervical spine for different working postures and movements. In this work we present a detailed musculo-skeletal model of the cervical spine based on inverse dynamics. The proposed approach allows the cervical spine to be modeled with all individual segments, joints and muscles. The model calculates muscle and joint reaction forces for any given movement, posture and external loading.