Nerve supply of muscles in the head and neck

2007 November 14

cut_nrvs_head_neck.jpg

Muscle group – nerve supply – except – which is supplied by

  1. Pharyngeal muscles – pharyngeal plexus (IX, X, sympathetic) – stylopharyngeus – IX
  2. Palatine muscles – pharyngeal plexus (IX, X, sympathetic) – tensor veli palatini – V3
  3. Laryngeal muscles – RLN (X) – cricothyroid – ext.br of superior laryngeal nerve (X)
  4. Tongue – XII – palatoglossus – pharyngeal plexus (IX, X, sympathetic)
  5. Mastication -V3 – buccinator – VII
  6. Facial expression and buccinator – VII

This “except – which is supplied by” is kinda fun to memorize, however i could only identify a clinical application for no. 3 in terms of a thyroidectomy.

2ndly, it did not come out in my exams. BEFORE you judge me on having a result-oriented / surface approach (Biggs model of learning) toward my education, we were assured that what’s important clinically will, should and must come out in the exams. Of course, in our limited foresight as students, we cannot always see the clinical significance of minutia.

If you are free to comment, please enlighten me.

photo credit

5 Responses leave one →
  1. 2007 November 21
    Josh permalink

    Why does the picture show the cutaneous nerve supply but you talk about the muscle supply? Hah, sorry I’m bored so I’m being annoying.

    More interestingly, why the the muscles associated with the middle ear supplied by different nerves? Stapedius by VII and tensor tympani by V3. The function of V3 supplying tensor tympani is obvious, but why stapedius? hmmm.

  2. 2008 March 19
    deb permalink

    anyone know why my daughter is in severe pain? got massive pain in mastiod area – no infection. drs say its tn – haven’t come across a case of tn without facial pain – she has no facial pain. at a loss very depressed – on morphine. she’s only 14 nobody ought to suffer like this

  3. 2008 December 15
    zareen permalink

    sory, i was just wondering…..
    do medical course in monash gain MQA recocnition….
    what is the status of the course now…
    is it posible that you e-mail me the program outline for medical course in Monash…

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