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Suprahyoid Muscles Anatomy
Suprahyoid Muscles Anatomy
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The suprahyoid muscles are a group of four small muscles located above the hyoid bone in the neck. They connect the hyoid bone to the mandible (lower jaw) and the base of the skull.
Together, they form the floor of the mouth and help with swallowing, speaking, and stabilizing the hyoid bone.
These muscles include the:
Digastric
Mylohyoid
Geniohyoid
Stylohyoid.
They are mainly supplied by branches of the facial, lingual, and occipital arteries.
Digastric Muscle
Digastric Muscle
The digastric muscle has two parts (called bellies), an anterior and a posterior, connected by a tendon that attaches to the hyoid bone. It depresses the mandible (opens the mouth) and elevates the hyoid during swallowing and speaking.
Origin: Anterior belly - Digastric fossa of the mandible, Posterior belly - Mastoid notch of the temporal bone.
Insertion: Intermediate tendon attached to the hyoid bone.
Innervation: Anterior belly - Nerve to mylohyoid (branch of the mandibular nerve, CN V3), Posterior belly - Digastric branch of the facial nerve (CN VII).
Because the two bellies develop from different embryonic sources, they have different nerve supplies.
Mylohyoid Muscle
Mylohyoid Muscle
The mylohyoid is a flat, triangular muscle that forms most of the floor of the mouth. It elevates the hyoid bone and floor of the mouth during swallowing, or helps lower the mandible when the hyoid is fixed.
Origin: Mylohyoid line of the mandible.
Insertion: Mylohyoid raphe (a midline tendon) and the hyoid bone.
Innervation: Nerve to mylohyoid (branch of the mandibular nerve, CN V3).
Quick Reference Table: Muscle Name, Origin, Insertion & Innervation
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Geniohyoid Muscle
Geniohyoid Muscle
The geniohyoid is a narrow muscle located just above the mylohyoid, close to the midline. It pulls the hyoid bone upward and forward during swallowing, and can also help lower the mandible.
Origin: Inferior mental spine (genial tubercle) of the mandible.
Insertion: Body of the hyoid bone.
Innervation: C1 nerve fibers traveling with the hypoglossal nerve (CN XII).
Stylohyoid Muscle
Stylohyoid Muscle
The stylohyoid is a thin muscle that runs along the upper edge of the posterior belly of the digastric. It elevates and pulls the hyoid bone backward, helping start the swallowing process.
Origin: Styloid process of the temporal bone.
Insertion: Body of the hyoid bone.
Innervation: Stylohyoid branch of the facial nerve (CN VII).
Need a recap? Take a look at the Suprahyoid Muscles anatomy notes here.
Need a recap? Take a look at the Suprahyoid Muscles anatomy notes here.
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References
References
Gray, H. (2009). Anatomy of the human body, part 2 (LibriVox Volunteers, Narr.) [Audiobook]. LibriVox. https://librivox.org/anatomy-of-the-human-body-part-2-by-henry-gray/ (Original work published 1858)
J Gordon Betts, Desaix, P., Johnson, E., Johnson, J. E., Korol, O., Kruse, D., Poe, B., Wise, J., Womble, M. D., & Young, K. A. (2013). Anatomy & physiology. Openstax College, Rice University. https://openstax.org/details/books/anatomy-and-physiology
Based on OpenStax, Anatomy and Physiology (2013), licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology/pages/1-introduction.
Content paraphrased; adaptations were made.
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