Muscles of the Head and Neck
Anatomy Terms
- Acromioclavicular Ligament
- Clavicle
- Clavicular Head of Sternocleidomastoid Muscle
- Deltoid Muscle
- Depressor Anguli Oris Muscle
- Depressor Labii Inferioris Muscle
- Eye
- Frontal Belly of Epicranius Muscle (Frontalis Muscle)
- Galea Aponeurotica
- Hyoid Bone
- Interclavicular Ligament
- Intercostal Muscles
- Levator Labii Superioris Alaeque Nasi Muscle
- Levator Labii Superioris Muscle
- Levator Scapulae Muscle
- Masseter Muscle
- Medial Rectus Muscle
- Mentalis Muscle
- Muscles of the Eye
- Muscles of the Tongue
- Nasalis Muscle
- Occipital Belly of Epicranius Muscle (Occipitalis Muscle)
- Omohyoid Muscle
- Orbicularis Oculi Muscle
- Orbicularis Oris Muscle
- Pectoralis Major Muscle
- Pectoralis Minor Muscle
- Platysma Muscle
- Radiate Ligaments
- Risorius Muscle
- Scalene Muscles
- Scapula
- Semispinalis Capitis Muscle
- Serratus Anterior Muscle
- Skull
- Spine
- Splenius Capitis Muscle
- Sternal Head of Sternocleidomastoid Muscle
- Sternohyoid Muscle
- Sternum
- Teeth
- Temporalis Muscle
- Trapezius Muscle
- True Ribs
- Zygomaticus Major Muscle
- Zygomaticus Minor Muscle
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Full Muscles of the Head and Neck Description
[Continued from above] . . . movement in the muscular system of the head and neck. They move the head in every direction, pulling the skull and jaw against the shoulders,
spine, and scapula. These neck muscles are often paired. One such typical bifurcated strap-like muscle in the back of the neck connects the base of the skull to several vertebrae. These muscle pairs bend the head toward the chest and pull it erect, or turn the face to one side or the other. Additionally, some muscles of the neck aid in facial expressions, or help to open the mouth.
Finer musculature dominates the head, including muscles that give the face its infinite expressiveness (a smile uses 17 muscles, a frown uses 43), including muscles over the top of the cranium. However, the muscular systems of the tongue and eyes are most significant.
An extensive complement of tightly interlaced muscles allows the tongue a range of complex movements for chewing, sucking, and swallowing, as well as the vital function of making sounds to produce speech. Of these, four extrinsic muscle sets (connecting the tongue to the surrounding bones) move the tongue in virtually any direction, with fine shape changes (such as for speech) the province of four intrinsic tongue muscles.
As for the eye, six extrinsic eye muscles that provide movement in eight different directions, constantly and at tremendous speed, actuate movement. Dilation of the pupil and focusing of the eye, too, is controlled by intrinsic muscles.
Even the ear takes part in the muscular system of the head and neck. In fact, the smallest muscle of the skeleton is the stapedius, which measures 1/20th of an inch. It is the activator of the stirrup that sends vibrations from the eardrum to the inner ear.