Muscles / Head & neck
Lateral pterygoid
- Head & neck
- Head & face
- Deep layer
Anatomy
- Origin
- Superior head: infratemporal surface and crest of the greater wing of the sphenoid; inferior head: lateral surface of the lateral pterygoid plate
- Insertion
- Pterygoid fovea on the neck of the mandible; articular disc and capsule of the TMJ
- Nerve
- Nerve to lateral pterygoid from the mandibular nerve (CN V3)
Actions
- Bilaterally protrudes the mandible and helps open the mouth
- Unilaterally moves the mandible to the opposite side
Notes
- Its disc attachment makes it relevant in TMJ disc displacement.
References (4)
- Standring S, ed. Elsevier. Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice. 42nd ed.
- Dalley AF, Agur AMR. Wolters Kluwer. Moore's Clinically Oriented Anatomy. 9th ed.
- Neumann DA. Elsevier. Kinesiology of the Musculoskeletal System: Foundations for Rehabilitation. 3rd ed.
- Betts JG, Young KA, Wise JA, et al. OpenStax (free, openly licensed textbook). Anatomy and Physiology 2e