The pharyngeal muscles are a group of muscles that form the

pharynx The pharynx (: pharynges) is the part of the throat behind the human mouth, mouth and nasal cavity, and above the esophagus and trachea (the tubes going down to the stomach and the lungs respectively). It is found in vertebrates and invertebrates ...

, which is posterior to the oral cavity, determining the shape of its lumen, and affecting its sound properties as the primary resonating cavity. The pharyngeal muscles (involuntary skeletal) push food into the

esophagus The esophagus (American English), oesophagus (British English), or œsophagus (Œ, archaic spelling) (American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, see spelling difference) all ; : ((o)e)(œ)sophagi or ((o)e)(œ)sophaguses), c ...

. There are two muscular layers of the

: the outer circular layer and the inner longitudinal layer. The outer circular layer includes: * Superior constrictor muscle * Middle constrictor muscle *

Inferior constrictor muscle The inferior pharyngeal constrictor muscle is a skeletal muscle of the neck. It is the thickest of the three outer pharyngeal muscles. It arises from the sides of the cricoid cartilage and the thyroid cartilage. It is supplied by the vagus nerve ...

During

swallowing Swallowing, also called deglutition or inglutition in scientific and medical contexts, is a physical process of an animal's digestive tract (e.g. that of a human body) that allows for an ingested substance (typically food) to pass from the mou ...

, these muscles constrict to propel a bolus downwards (an involuntary process). The inner longitudinal layer includes: *

Stylopharyngeus muscle The stylopharyngeus muscle is a muscle in the head. It originates from the temporal styloid process. Some of its fibres insert onto the thyroid cartilage, while others end by intermingling with proximal structures. It is innervated by the glosso ...

* Salpingopharyngeus muscle * Palatopharyngeus muscle During swallowing, these muscles act to shorten and widen the pharynx. They are innervated by the pharyngeal branch of the

vagus nerve The vagus nerve, also known as the tenth cranial nerve (CN X), plays a crucial role in the autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for regulating involuntary functions within the human body. This nerve carries both sensory and motor fibe ...

(CN X) with the exception of the stylopharyngeus muscle which is innervated by the

glossopharyngeal nerve The glossopharyngeal nerve (), also known as the ninth cranial nerve, cranial nerve IX, or simply CN IX, is a cranial nerve that exits the brainstem from the sides of the upper Medulla oblongata, medulla, just anterior (closer to the nose) to t ...

(CN IX). They are primarily supplied by branches of the

facial artery The facial artery, formerly called the external maxillary artery, is a branch of the external carotid artery that supplies blood to superficial structures of the medial regions of the face. Structure The facial artery arises in the carotid t ...

. Other blood supply includes the

ascending pharyngeal artery The ascending pharyngeal artery is an artery of the neck that supplies the pharynx. Its named branches are the inferior tympanic artery, pharyngeal artery, and posterior meningeal artery. inferior tympanic artery, and the meningeal branches (i ...

, lingual artery, and ascending and descending palatine arteries.

References

Muscles of the head and neck Pharynx {{muscle-stub