“Riolan bouquet” - so beautifully (by the name of a French doctor) in anatomy is the combination of muscles and ligaments that extend from the styloid process of the temporal bone. In the “bouquet” there are the mandibular, stylo pharyngeal, stylo-lingual and stylo-lingual muscles of the neck. In the article, we consider the functions of the latter.
General concept
Perhaps, only those who studied human anatomy heard about this muscle, and therefore the name - stylohyoid muscle - few people know. It is not large in size. It starts right from the styloid process of the temporal bone (SHO). And below it is attached to the posterior end of the warp of the hyoid bone. In addition, her lower tendons are closely intertwined with the tendons of the biliary network.
Facial and occipital arteries supply blood to this muscle. It is important to note that this muscle is activated by the facial nerve.
Function
The stylohyoid muscle is involved in human speech and this is its main function. It pulls the hyoid bone to itself, back and up, which allows the latter to move in these directions.
Like other supra- and sublingual muscles, the stylohyoid takes part in acts of chewing food and swallowing, and stretches the oral cavity. Also takes part in the work of the biceps muscle. And sometimes it’s very difficult to differentiate the meaning of each of them.
In other words, the stylohyoid muscle is very significant. It is an important component of the whole apparatus, complex in its composition and structure. It includes the larynx, trachea, hyoid bone and lower jaw.
Can it cause pain?
Since the stylohyoid muscle, like many other muscles, ligaments, nerves, and vessels, is anatomically directly related to the styloid process of the temporal bone, many researchers come to the conclusion that it can become one of the causes of the syndrome of the same name.
In what cases is it possible to suspect the stylohyoid muscle in inflammation? Symptoms testifying to him:
- Sore throat, neck (on one side or bilateral), behind or under the tongue.
- Difficulty swallowing (complaints that something is in the throat).
- Pain in the neck, which is given to the temple, to the jaw, face, ears.
- Nausea, vomiting, dizziness.
- Pain after prolonged and intense chewing.
As a rule, the patient turns to a variety of specialists: dentists, neurologists, otorhinolaryngologists. And I must say that all these actions have a sound explanation. After all, the styloid process is surrounded by various tissues - nerve plexuses, blood vessels, muscles and can squeeze the walls of the pharynx, cause pain in the neck and in the mouth, on the face, and disturb blood circulation. But most often, such symptomatic treatment does not bring relief and is ineffective. This syndrome causes a lot of suffering for patients, turning their lives into a continuous struggle with pain.
In medicine, the combination of the above symptoms is called Eagle's syndrome.
One of the culprits of pain
For a long time among medical scientists it was believed that the anomalously long styloid process, as well as its significant deviations in size, were the cause of the stylohyal syndrome. Numerous studies have shown that not everything is so simple. For example, it turned out that pain also occurs in those who have normal lengths and also have no other abnormalities of this muscle complex.
It became clear that the reasons lie not only in the fact that the process, mechanically irritating neighboring tissues, causes unpleasant sensations. It was also another matter.
The reason often turned out to be that the ligaments that are attached to the appendix (including the stylohyoid muscle), even slightly damaged, can cause pain. Their injury can occur with strong yawning or with a long mouth wide open (during medical procedures and in dental offices).
Doctors now know for sure that anomalies in the development of this complex (found in almost 30 percent of adults) can be only one of the causes of severe syndrome. The rest of the list of pathologies of the stylohyoid muscle of the neck is as follows:
- a state of spasm;
- muscle ossification;
- fused hyoid bone, stylohyoid ligament, SHO of the temporal bone.
Diagnostics
All of the above variety of clinical manifestations and symptoms affects the complexity of the diagnosis of Eagle's syndrome. The disease is not well understood and described. Poorly informed practitioners rarely make this diagnosis in the initial stages of tormenting patients.
An objective picture of the anatomical "relationship" between the styloid process of the temporal bone and its immediate environment, as a rule, is revealed when an X-ray and computer examination, MRI is prescribed. Treatment is prescribed depending on the results of the tests and the causes of the symptoms of the disease.
Such patients should be consulted first of all by neurologists who, if a pathology is found that is not related to their specialty, can be referred to other doctors for further treatment.