The pharyngeal muscles are a group of muscles that form the

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

, 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) or oesophagus (British English; both ), non-technically known also as the food pipe or gullet, is an organ in vertebrates through which food passes, aided by peristaltic contractions, from the pharynx to the ...

. 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 During

swallowing Swallowing, sometimes called deglutition in scientific contexts, is the process in the human or animal body that allows for a substance to pass from the mouth, to the pharynx, and into the esophagus, while shutting the epiglottis. Swallowing ...

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

Stylopharyngeus muscle The stylopharyngeus is a muscle in the head that stretches between the temporal styloid process and the pharynx. Structure The stylopharyngeus is a long, slender muscle, cylindrical above, flattened below. It arises from the medial side of the ...

* 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, cranial nerve X, or simply CN X, is a cranial nerve that interfaces with the parasympathetic control of the heart, lungs, and digestive tract. It comprises two nerves—the left and rig ...

(CN X) with the exception of the stylopharyngeus muscle which is innervated by the glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX).

References

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