Logan Steele
The pterygoid muscles, often referred to as the wing muscles, are a group of muscles that play a crucial role in the inferior temporal region of the skull. They are involved in mastication and mandibular movements, including protrusion, abduction, and mediotrusion. The pterygoid muscles consist of two types: the lateral pterygoid muscle and the medial pterygoid muscle. The lateral pterygoid muscle is a craniomandibular muscle that is active during speaking, singing, and clenching. It has two heads or bellies, with the inferior belly being larger than the superior belly. The medial pterygoid muscle, on the other hand, is a square-shaped masticatory muscle that acts as a major elevator of the jaw. It is located on the medial aspect of the lower jaw and has a triple function, including protrusion and lateral movement of the mandible.
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What You'll Learn
- The lateral pterygoid muscle is a craniomandibular muscle
- The medial pterygoid muscle is a square-shaped masticatory muscle
- The lateral pterygoid muscle has two heads or bellies
- The medial pterygoid muscle has a triple function
- The lateral pterygoid muscle is innervated by the nerve to the lateral pterygoid muscle
The lateral pterygoid muscle is a craniomandibular muscle
The lateral pterygoid muscle has two heads or bellies. The superior head and the inferior head. The inferior belly is three times larger than the superior belly. The muscle is innervated by the nerve to the lateral pterygoid muscle, which is a branch of the mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve (CN V3). It receives blood supply from the pterygoid branches of the maxillary artery and the ascending palatine branch of the facial artery.
The function of the lateral pterygoid muscle is to protrude and depress the mandible when contraction is bilateral. In unilateral contraction, the lateral pterygoid muscle moves the mandible medially. The unilateral contraction of the lateral pterygoid muscle with the ipsilateral medial pterygoid muscle results in lateral mandibular movement to the contralateral side. This movement is observable during functional and parafunctional lateral excursive movements, such as during the chewing stroke, masticating, and clenching. When both bellies of the lateral pterygoid muscle contract bilaterally, the mandible travels anteriorly (protrusion).
The lateral pterygoid muscle is located in the infratemporal fossa of the skull. The smaller superior head arises from the infratemporal crest of the greater wing of the sphenoid bone, while the larger inferior head arises from the lateral surface of the lateral pterygoid plate. The fibres of both muscle heads merge and insert on the pterygoid fovea on the neck of the mandible.
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The medial pterygoid muscle is a square-shaped masticatory muscle
The pterygoid muscles are two of the four muscles of mastication, with the other two being the masseter and temporal muscles. The two pterygoid muscles are the medial pterygoid and the lateral pterygoid.
The medial pterygoid muscle originates on the pterygoid process, which is a downward-pointing process that extends from the sphenoid bone. The superficial head of the medial pterygoid has its origin from the maxillary tuberosity of the inferior maxilla. The deep head originates from the medial surface of the lateral pterygoid plate of the sphenoid bone. The muscle fibres converge inferiorly, forming a tendon that inserts on the medial ramus of the mandible. The medial pterygoid muscle is innervated by the medial pterygoid nerve, a branch of the mandibular nerve, which is itself a branch of the trigeminal nerve. It receives vascular supply from the maxillary artery through its pterygoid branches and by the facial artery through its muscular branches.
The medial pterygoid muscle has three functions. First, bilateral contraction of the muscle with the lateral pterygoid muscle results in protrusion of the mandible. Second, unilateral contraction of the medial pterygoid muscle with the lateral pterygoid muscle ipsilaterally results in lateral movement of the mandible towards the opposite side. Third, unilateral contraction of the medial pterygoid muscle causes rotation of the mandible. These movements are crucial for the act of chewing and food grinding between the maxillary and mandibular teeth.
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The lateral pterygoid muscle has two heads or bellies
The pterygoid muscles are two of the four muscles of mastication, located in the infratemporal fossa of the skull. These muscles are the lateral pterygoid and medial pterygoid. The lateral pterygoid muscle has two heads or bellies, known as the superior belly and the inferior belly. The inferior belly is three times larger than the superior belly. The two bellies of the lateral pterygoid muscle were traditionally believed to have an antagonist action due to their different anterior insertions. However, recent studies suggest that they may function similarly. The inferior belly was thought to function in depressing, protruding, and deviating the mandible to the contralateral side. Meanwhile, the superior belly was believed to become active during the elevation of the mandible to close the mouth. Nevertheless, the superior belly may have little role in closing the mouth and may instead become active during mouth opening, protrusion, and contralateral deviation, similar to the inferior belly.
The origin of both bellies of the lateral pterygoid muscle is medial to their insertions. The variations in the activity levels between the two bellies determine the lateral and anteroposterior positioning of the jaw. When both bellies contract bilaterally, the mandible moves forward (protrusion). The lateral pterygoid muscle is the only muscle among all the masticatory muscles that participates in depressing the mandible. It is also the only one with horizontally arranged fibres.
The lateral pterygoid muscle is innervated by the nerve to the lateral pterygoid muscle, which is a branch of the mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve (CN V3). It receives blood supply from the pterygoid branches of the maxillary artery and the ascending palatine branch of the facial artery.
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The medial pterygoid muscle has a triple function
The pterygoid muscles are two of the four muscles of mastication, with the other two being the masseter and temporalis muscles. They are located in the infratemporal fossa of the skull and are responsible for producing movements of the mandible at the temporomandibular joint. The two pterygoid muscles are the lateral pterygoid and the medial pterygoid.
The medial pterygoid muscle is a thick quadrilateral muscle that arises from two heads: a superficial head and a deep head. The smaller superficial head originates from the maxillary tuberosity and pyramidal process of the palatine bone. The larger deep head originates from the medial surface of the lateral plate of the pterygoid process and the pyramidal process of the palatine bone. The muscle fibres from both heads run posteroinferiorly and laterally, surrounding the lower fibres of the lateral pterygoid muscle. The medial pterygoid muscle is innervated by the medial pterygoid nerve, a branch of the mandibular nerve (CN V3), which is one of the three divisions of the trigeminal nerve (CN V). It receives its blood supply from the pterygoid and buccal branches of the maxillary artery, as well as the ascending palatine artery and muscular branches of the facial artery to a lesser extent.
The medial pterygoid muscle is located in the infratemporal fossa, lying deep to the masseter and temporalis muscles and medial to the lateral pterygoid muscle. It connects the mandible with the maxilla, sphenoid, and palatine bones. The outer surface of the muscle lies against the inner surface of the mandible, separated by the lateral pterygoid muscle, sphenomandibular ligament, maxillary artery, mandibular nerve, and its lingual and inferior alveolar branches. The inner surface of the muscle is in relation to the tensor veli palatini, styloglossus, and salpingopharyngeus muscles.
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The lateral pterygoid muscle is innervated by the nerve to the lateral pterygoid muscle
The lateral pterygoid muscle is a craniomandibular muscle that plays a crucial role in the inferior temporal region. It is one of the four masticatory muscles, along with the medial pterygoid, temporalis, and masseter muscles. The lateral pterygoid muscle is located laterally in the infratemporal fossa of the skull, where it comprises the medial wall of the infratemporal fossa and is contained within the masticator space. The muscle is divided into two heads or bellies, with the inferior belly being three times larger than the superior belly. The superior head is formed by the most superomedial fibres of the muscle, which originate from the infratemporal crest of the greater wing of the sphenoid bone. The inferior head originates from the lateral surface of the lateral pterygoid plate of the sphenoid bone.
The lateral pterygoid muscle has a primary function of protruding and depressing the mandible during bilateral contraction. When acting unilaterally, the lateral pterygoid muscle moves the mandible medially, contributing to the rotation of the mandible. This muscle is particularly active during mastication and mandibular movements, including protrusion (forward movement of the mandible), abduction (depression of the mandible), and mediotrusion (movement of the mandibular condyle towards the midline). The lateral pterygoid muscle is crucial for speaking, singing, and clenching, and it is the only masticatory muscle that participates in depressing the mandible.
The lateral pterygoid muscle receives its blood supply from the pterygoid branches of the maxillary artery and the ascending palatine branch of the facial artery. The maxillary artery passes through the split between the superior and inferior heads of the lateral pterygoid muscle, along with the buccal nerve, a branch of the mandibular nerve. The lateral pterygoid muscle is positioned deep to the temporalis and masseter muscles, and it spans between the sphenoid bone and the temporomandibular joint.
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Frequently asked questions
The pterygoid muscle is a craniomandibular muscle that plays a crucial role in the inferior temporal region. There are two types of pterygoid muscles: the lateral pterygoid muscle and the medial pterygoid muscle.
The lateral pterygoid muscle is involved in mastication and mandibular movements, including protrusion (forward movement of the mandible), abduction (depression of the mandible), and mediotrusion (mandibular condyle movement towards the midline). It is the only muscle of mastication that depresses the mandible.
The medial pterygoid muscle is a major elevator of the jaw and is involved in closing the mouth. It also moves the mandible forward and to the side.
The pterygoid muscles are referred to as "the wing muscles" because they are located on the medial and lateral sides of the mandible, resembling the wings of a bird.
