Thyroarytenoid
Head & throat
Deep muscle — it lies under other muscles. X-ray makes the muscles over it see-through.
- Origin
- Inner surface of the thyroid cartilage near its front angle, and the cricothyroid ligament
- Insertion
- Base and front surface of the arytenoid cartilage; its deep part (vocalis) to the vocal process
- Action
- Shortens and relaxes the vocal folds; the vocalis fine-tunes their tension
- Nerve supply
- Recurrent laryngeal nerve (CN X)
A broad, thin muscle running alongside each vocal fold. Its innermost strip, the vocalis, lies within the vocal fold itself and adjusts its tension, shaping pitch and voice quality.
Thyroarytenoid anatomy page →