The pterygoid medialis muscle is a muscle that belongs to the masticatory musculature in humans. It is located on the inside of the temporomandibular joint. Its function is to move the temporomandibular joint.
What is the pterygoid medialis muscle?
The pterygoid medialis muscle is a masseter muscle of the human dentition. Thus, it has an important function in the motor function of the jaw. The masticatory muscles in humans include a total of 4 muscles. These are the masseter muscle, the temporalis muscle, the medial pterygoid muscle and the lateral pterygoid muscle. Each of the four masticatory muscles performs a different task to ensure the chewing process. The medial pterygoid muscle is used to move the temporomandibular joint and thus the mandible. Through its activity, the jaw is closed. The pterygoideus mediales muscle is located on the inner side of the mandible. It is called the inner wing muscle. The pterygoideus medialis muscle wraps around the mandible in the form of a sling. The masseter muscle works closely with the pterygoideus medialis muscle. By working together, they enable powerful biting. In this way, even solid components of the food can be ground and biting off becomes possible. The pterygoid medialis muscle is supplied by the pterygoid nerve. This is a nerve branch of the maxillary nerve, which belongs to the Vth cranial nerve, the trigeminal nerve.
Anatomy and structure
The trigeminal nerve branches into other branches. One of these is the mandibular nerve. It passes through the foramen ovale. Its motor portion in turn divides into several branches that travel to the four masseter muscles of the mandible as well as the floor of the mouth. The nerve branches are the nervus massetericus, the nervi temporalis profundi, the nervi pterygoidei, and the nervus mylohyoideus. The masseter muscle is innervated by the masseteric nerve. The nervi temporales profundi supply the musculus temporales. The lateral pterygoid muscle and the medial pterygoid muscle are supplied by the pterygoid nerves. The supply of the floor muscles of the mouth is provided by the mylohyoid nerve. The pterygoid medial muscle begins at the pterygoid fossa. This is a bulge on the skull. It runs along the pterygoid process of the sphenoidal bone. This is the sphenoid bone in humans, located below the eye. In addition, the pterygoid medialis muscle runs along the pterygoid tuberosity. This is the inside of the angle of the jaw. The pterygoid medialis muscle and the masseter muscle form a muscle loop. This wraps around the lower jaw of the human dentition. The pterygoid medialis muscle can be easily palpated on the ramus mandibulae.
Function and tasks
The four masseter muscles perform different tasks in regulating the masticatory process. The masseter muscle is referred to as the masticatory muscle. Together with the pterygoid medialis muscle, it is responsible for closing the jaw. The temporalis muscle is considered the temporalis muscle. It also supports the closing of the jaw and, in addition, enables the mandible to be retracted. The pterygoid lateralis muscle enables movement of the temporomandibular joint. It is titled as wing muscle and directs the opening of the jaw one. It is responsible for the advancement of the mandible, the protrusion. The muscle pterygoideus medialis serves for the comminution of the ingested food. Through it a powerful biting off is made possible. In addition, it is of great importance in the purchase process for a good comminution of the solid food components. The Musculus pterygoideus medialis influences the necessary turning and painting movements during the comminution of the food. The pterygoid medialis muscle closes the jaw. This process is also of great importance in speech formation and singing. Certain sounds and tones can only be formed and pronounced by closing the jaw and, at the same time, the mouth.
Diseases
The teeth and the masticatory apparatus of humans are a particularly sensitive region in the human body. Pain occurring there is often described as pain attacks that are hardly bearable. Dysfunction of the pterygoid medialis muscle results in a restriction of jaw closure. The force with which the mouth is closed is reduced. This means that the intake of food is restricted.In bad cases, biting becomes impossible. Crushing food is associated with discomfort. In everyday life, the firmer components of food must be crushed or soaked before being ingested into the mouth. In addition, the medial pterygoid muscle is also stressed when speaking or singing. Once it is damaged, these tasks cannot be adequately performed. Speech formation is limited and some sounds can only be pronounced with impairment. Although this is painless, it is perceived as unpleasant because it leads increasingly to misunderstandings in everyday life. Dysfunctions of the temporomandibular joint have an effect on complaints in the head, neck and back areas. The muscles of the masticatory system are closely interconnected with the back muscles. As a result, they influence each other. As a result, headaches, tension or incorrect posture are to be expected. A permanent bad posture due to the restriction of the musculature of the jaw also leads to comparable complaints. In addition, ringing in the ears, visual disturbances or dizziness often find their origin in a faulty masticatory system. Tooth or jaw misalignments change the functional activity of the musculature. This can then produce the corresponding symptoms. Nocturnal teeth grinding, difficulty swallowing, increased salivation or general toothache can also be caused by damage to the medial pterygoid muscle.