Stapedius muscle

The stapedius muscle (Latin for " stapedius " ) belongs together with the tensor tympani to the two intrinsic muscles of the middle ear. The stapedius reduces the vibratory capacity of the stirrup ( stapes ), thus protecting the inner ear from excessive sound levels, especially in front of the volume of your own voice.

The muscle has its origin within the pyramidal eminence (Latin pyramid- shaped projection ) in the sinus tympani (Latin bay of the tympanic cavity ). Its tendon leaves the eminence pyramidalis through a small opening and pulls forward to the stirrup neck where it attaches. The innervation is done by the stapedius nerve.

The stapedius tilted the foot plate of the stapes in the oval window (lat. oval window ) thereby biasing the annular ligament (Latin annular band around the stapes ). This leads to an attenuation of the vibration transmission to the perilymph of the inner ear. The contraction of the muscle takes place by way of a reflex ( acoustic reflex ), which is triggered by loud sound and its release can be measured with a tympanometric. The contraction of the muscle can be carried out arbitrarily by some people.

The stapedius is the smallest existing in the human body striated muscle.

• Anatomy of the ear
• Skeletal muscle of the head
• Facial