The nerve to the stapedius is a branch of the facial nerve (CN VII) which innervates the

stapedius muscle The stapedius is the smallest skeletal muscle Skeletal muscle (commonly referred to as muscle) is one of the three types of vertebrate muscle tissue, the others being cardiac muscle and smooth muscle. They are part of the somatic nervous syste ...

. It arises from the CN VII within the

facial canal The facial canal (also known as the Fallopian canal) is a Z-shaped canal in the temporal bone of the skull. It extends between the internal acoustic meatus and stylomastoid foramen. It transmits the facial nerve (CN VII) (after which it is nam ...

, opposite the pyramidal eminence. It passes through a small canal in this eminence to reach the

References

External links

* () Facial nerve {{Neuroanatomy-stub Otorhinolaryngology Nerves of the head and neck Nervous system Neurology