An organ consisting of 16 muscles completely penetrated by blood vessels that never sleeps. What is it about? This is a human language, thanks to which we are able to enjoy the taste of food. Moreover, it helps to speak clearly and clearly, because it is the language that participates in the formation of all vowels and even some consonants. How does he succeed? Due to the special arrangement of the muscles of the tongue.
Structure
The language is usually divided into three parts - this is the root, apex and the body itself. All three parts are covered with papillae of various types.
- Threadlike. These papillae, characterized by an interesting oblong shape, cover most of the surface of the tongue. It is they who give the language a certain “velvetiness”.
- Grooved. They are on the body and taste bulbs are huddled in their walls. This type of papilla is very low and practically does not rise above the surface. These are small cylindrical turrets in a ring resembling a furrow, surrounded by a roller.
- Leaf-shaped. They have a shape corresponding to the name and are located on the sides and back and, by the way, also distinguish taste.
- Mushroom-shaped. These papillae are located at the very top of the tongue. They can be seen in a photo of the tongue or simply in the mirror. These are red dots that are involved in taste recognition.
- Cone-shaped. In part, these papillae are similar to filiform, but much smaller. Their location is the central part of the back of the tongue.
- Lenticular. These papillae are smaller than mushroom-shaped, so they are easily placed between them, having different sizes.
There is a blind hole between the body and the root, behind which the tonsil is hidden. The hole itself is a thyroid-language overgrown duct.
The salivary glands are located at the top and along the edges, and the blood vessels pierced through all the muscles allow the tongue to be an ideal assistant in enjoying food and digesting in principle.
Functions
The anatomy of the language allows it to cope with several functions:
- Accelerates the regeneration of all damaged areas of the tongue and oral cavity.
- Helps in the absorption of various medications.
- Protects against various infections and viruses.
- It makes it possible to distinguish a huge range of tastes, temperature and even pain.
- It helps to speak clearly, clearly and even imitate certain sounds.
About what helps us to make clear sounds, we’ll talk.
Muscle
The mass of this organ is formed by the muscles of the tongue. They are also divided into several categories:
- internal group;
- outdoor group.
The first muscle group shortens the tongue and makes it thicker. She helps to take him aside. Some of its parts are involved in the compression of the pharynx and pharynx, and are also responsible for the formation of the groove in the tongue. But the second group has more advanced functionality. However, it is worth considering not just both groups, but each component separately.
Superior longitudinal muscle
This is the paired muscle of the tongue, which is actually very thin and is already under the aponeurosis. She seems to embrace the tongue, located on the sides, above all others, if you look at it from the partition.
The upper longitudinal muscle is fully consistent with its name, going from the root of the tongue.
It helps to move the tongue to the side and creates a thickening on it, making it shorter.
Lower longitudinal muscle
And again, we are talking about an internal muscle group that cannot be found in the photo of the tongue. She is also a steam room and goes next to the bottom. The longitudinal muscle is located between the chin-lingual and sublingual-lingual muscles. The lower surface of the tongue is also located there.
This muscle of the tongue is attached to the aponeurosis from above and carries the same functions as the upper longitudinal.
Chin-muscle
This is a muscle from the second group, which leaves the chin spine. It smoothly goes to the septum in the form of a fan, being attached to the aponeurosis on the back.
By the way, the bundles of this muscle merge a little with the longitudinal and vertical muscles. It is she who helps to show everyone the language and even take it aside.
Transverse
A muscle going from the septum of the tongue, which lies between the other three (chin-lingual, lower and longitudinal) is called the "transverse muscle of the tongue." It helps to correctly form the tongue and is an active participant in the compression of the pharynx and pharynx.
Sublingual muscle
It's amazing how the language is created. Its anatomy is such that in order for this organ to be pulled down and return to its original position, it has this paired muscle.
A curious feature of this component of the tongue is the often encountered bundle of fibers, which is commonly called the cartilaginous muscle. This muscle is quite independent, although it is part of the sublingual-lingual, starting on the small horn and having an end on the back of the tongue.
Vertical
This paired muscle creates a special groove on the back of the tongue. By the way, it also makes the language flatter and longer.
It begins in lingual aponeurosis. According to the name, it goes vertically in the inner part of the tongue and ends in its lower surface.
Subwoofer and palatine
These muscles help the tongue to be more mobile and take various forms. The awl-speaking has a thin beginning and a fan-shaped end. It is directly connected with the hyoid-lingual muscle and is interwoven with the transverse. Palatine muscle has a similar structure.
Mucous membrane
All muscles are an integral structure that always works seamlessly. As mentioned earlier, she never sleeps and is constantly in motion. To prevent injury, the tongue is in a special mucous membrane.
If we talk about the root of the tongue, then its mucous membrane is very smooth, but its lower part and top are rough. This is due to the fact that on these parts of such a small but important organ there are papillae of various shapes, which were mentioned above.
Disease indicator?
In addition to the amazing structure of this small organ, its ability to help in determining the state of health is impressive. What does it look like?
For example, if the tongue becomes dry, it signals dehydration. Is it scary? In fact, yes, because such a symptom indicates a serious intestinal infection, peritonitis and even internal bleeding, which is not so easy to diagnose. Or is it a clear sign of an increase in blood sugar and a malfunctioning thyroid gland.
If there is dryness with a bitter taste in the morning rise, it is necessary to conduct a study of the gallbladder.
With dysbiosis or thrush, the tongue can turn white. By the way, stomatitis can also manifest itself in the same raid. And these are far from all the symptoms and problems.
The amazing structure of the human body is really language. What muscle is the most important in it? Obviously, all have their own special meaning and purpose. Watch the state of your language and always pay attention to the signals that it can give you.