Tensor veli palatini
Head & throat
- Origin
- Scaphoid fossa of the sphenoid bone and the cartilage of the auditory tube
- Insertion
- Palatine aponeurosis, after its tendon hooks around the pterygoid hamulus
- Action
- Tightens the soft palate; opens the auditory tube
- Nerve supply
- Nerve to medial pterygoid (CN V3)
Its tendon turns around a small hook of bone to spread into the soft palate and tense it. It also opens the auditory (Eustachian) tube when you swallow or yawn, which equalises pressure in the middle ear.
Tensor veli palatini anatomy page →