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Head & Neck Muscles
The muscles of the face, chewing, the tongue floor and the neck: the facial-expression muscles supplied by the facial nerve, the four muscles of mastication supplied by the trigeminal nerve, the strap muscles around the hyoid, and the deep muscles that move and steady the head.
This page lists all 31 of them in the reference. Open any muscle for its origin, insertion, actions, nerve supply and clinical pearl.
| Muscle | Main actions | Nerve supply |
|---|---|---|
| Buccinator | Presses the cheek against the teeth; Keeps food on the chewing surfaces | Facial nerve (CN VII), buccal branch |
| Depressor Anguli Oris | Pulls the corner of the mouth down, as in frowning | Facial nerve (CN VII), marginal mandibular branch |
| Digastric | Depresses the jaw (opens the mouth); Elevates the hyoid bone | Anterior belly: trigeminal (CN V3); posterior belly: facial nerve (CN VII) |
| Frontalis | Raises the eyebrows; Wrinkles the forehead | Facial nerve (CN VII), temporal branch |
| Geniohyoid | Pulls the hyoid bone forward and up; Helps open the jaw | C1 fibres carried by the hypoglossal nerve (CN XII) |
| Lateral Pterygoid | Protrudes the jaw; Opens the mouth | Trigeminal nerve (CN V3) |
| Levator Labii Superioris | Raises the upper lip; Deepens the nasolabial fold | Facial nerve (CN VII) |
| Longus Capitis | Flexes the head and neck | Cervical plexus, C1–C3 |
| Longus Colli | Flexes the neck; Slightly rotates the neck | Cervical spinal nerves C2–C6 |
| Masseter | Elevates the jaw (closes the mouth); Helps protrude the jaw | Trigeminal nerve (CN V3), masseteric branch |
| Medial Pterygoid | Elevates the jaw; Moves the jaw side to side (grinding) | Trigeminal nerve (CN V3) |
| Mentalis | Raises and protrudes the lower lip; Wrinkles the chin skin | Facial nerve (CN VII) |
| Mylohyoid | Forms and elevates the floor of the mouth; Raises the hyoid and tongue when swallowing | Trigeminal nerve (CN V3), nerve to mylohyoid |
| Nasalis | Flares the nostrils; Wrinkles the bridge of the nose | Facial nerve (CN VII) |
| Occipitalis | Pulls the scalp backwards | Facial nerve (CN VII), posterior auricular branch |
| Omohyoid | Depresses and steadies the hyoid bone | Ansa cervicalis (C1–C3) |
| Orbicularis Oculi | Closes the eyelids; Blinks and squints | Facial nerve (CN VII) |
| Orbicularis Oris | Closes the lips; Purses and protrudes the lips, as in kissing or whistling | Facial nerve (CN VII), buccal branch |
| Platysma | Tenses the skin of the neck; Pulls the corners of the mouth down | Facial nerve (CN VII), cervical branch |
| Procerus | Pulls the skin between the eyebrows down; Makes a horizontal wrinkle across the nose bridge | Facial nerve (CN VII) |
| Rectus Capitis Anterior | Flexes the head on the neck | C1–C2 spinal nerves |
| Scalenus Anterior | Elevates the first rib in breathing; Flexes and slightly rotates the neck | Cervical spinal nerves C4–C6 |
| Scalenus Medius | Elevates the first rib in breathing; Tilts the neck to the same side | Cervical spinal nerves C3–C8 |
| Semispinalis Capitis | Extends the head; Turns the face slightly to the opposite side | Dorsal rami of cervical spinal nerves (greater occipital nerve, C2, emerges through it) |
| Splenius Capitis | Extends the head and neck; Turns the face to the same side | Dorsal rami of cervical spinal nerves |
| Sternocleidomastoid | Turns the head to the opposite side; Tilts the head to the same side | Accessory nerve (CN XI), with C2–C3 branches |
| Sternohyoid | Depresses the hyoid bone after swallowing | Ansa cervicalis (C1–C3) |
| Sternothyroid | Depresses the larynx (via the thyroid cartilage) | Ansa cervicalis (C2–C3) |
| Temporalis | Elevates the jaw; Retracts the jaw (posterior fibres) | Trigeminal nerve (CN V3), deep temporal branches |
| Thyrohyoid | Depresses the hyoid bone; Raises the larynx when the hyoid is fixed | C1 fibres carried by the hypoglossal nerve (CN XII) |
| Zygomaticus Major | Pulls the corner of the mouth up and out when smiling | Facial nerve (CN VII) |
Please note: This page is an anatomy education summary for students and curious readers, not medical advice. Attachment points are given in their classic short form; individual anatomy varies, and detailed dissection-level descriptions belong in an anatomy atlas.