An organ made up of 16 muscles completely riddled with blood vessels that never sleeps. What is this about? It is the human language through which we are able to enjoy the taste of food. Moreover, it also helps to speak clearly and understandably, because it is the language that is involved in the formation of all vowels and even some consonants. How does he do it? Due to the special arrangement of the muscles of the tongue.
Building
The tongue is usually divided into three parts - this is the root, the tip and the body itself. All three parts are covered with papillae of different types.
- Threadlike. These papillae, characterized by an interesting oblong shape, cover most of the surface of the tongue. It is they who give the language a certain "velvety".
- Gutter-shaped. They are located on the body and taste buds huddle in their walls. This type of papillae is very low and practically does not rise above the surface. These are small cylindrical turrets in a ring resembling a furrow, surrounded by a roller.
- Leaf-shaped. They arehave a shape corresponding to the name and are located on the sides and back and, by the way, they also distinguish taste.
- Mushroom. These papillae are located at the very top of the tongue. They can be seen in the photo of the tongue or simply in the mirror. These are the red dots that are involved in taste recognition.
- Conical. In part, these papillae are similar to filiform, but much smaller. Their location is the central part of the back of the tongue.
- Lenticular. These papillae are smaller than the mushroom papillae, so they fit easily between them in different sizes.
There is a blind hole between the body and the root, behind which the tonsil is hidden. The hole itself is a thyroid-lingual overgrown duct.
The salivary glands are located at the top and along the edges, and the blood vessels penetrated through all the muscles allow the tongue to be an ideal assistant in the enjoyment of food and digestion in general.
Functions
The anatomy of the tongue allows it to cope with several functions:
- Accelerating the regeneration of all damaged areas of the tongue and mouth.
- Helps in the absorption of various medications.
- Protects against various infections and viruses.
- Gives you the ability to distinguish a huge range of tastes, temperature and even pain.
- Helps you speak clearly, understandably, and even imitate certain sounds.
We'll talk about what helps us to pronounce clear sounds.
Muscles
The mass of this organ is formed by the muscles of the tongue. They are also divided intomultiple categories:
- inner group;
- outdoor group.
The first muscle group shortens the tongue and makes it thicker. She also helps to take him aside. Some of its parts are involved in the compression of the pharynx and pharynx, and are also responsible for the formation of a groove in the tongue. But the second group has more advanced functionality. However, it is worth considering not just both groups, but each component separately.
Superior longitudinal muscle
This is a paired muscle of the tongue, which is actually very thin and is already under the aponeurosis. She seems to hug the tongue, located on the sides, above all the others, if viewed from the septum.
The upper longitudinal muscle is fully consistent with its name, coming from the root of the tongue.
It helps to move the tongue to the side and creates a thickening on it, making it shorter.
Inferior longitudinal muscle
And again, we are talking about the internal muscle group, which cannot be found in the photo of the tongue. She is also a steam room and goes next to the bottom. The longitudinal muscle is located between the genio-lingual and hyoid-lingual muscles. The lower surface of the tongue is also located there.
This muscle of the tongue is attached to the aponeurosis from above and has the same functions as the superior longitudinal.
Gingo-lingual muscle
This is a muscle from the second group, which departs from the mental spine. It smoothly goes to the partition in the form of a fan, being attached to the aponeurosis on the back.
By the way, the bundles of this muscle merge a little with the longitudinal andvertical muscles. It is she who helps to show everyone the tongue and even take it aside.
Transverse
The muscle coming from the septum of the tongue, which lies between the other three (geniolingual, inferior and longitudinal) is called the "transverse muscle of the tongue". It is she who helps to correctly form the tongue and is an active participant in the compression of the pharynx and pharynx.
Hyologlossus muscle
It's amazing how language is made. Its anatomy is such that in order for this organ to be pulled down and returned to its original position, it has this paired muscle.
A curious feature of this component of the tongue is a frequently occurring bundle of fibers, which is commonly called the cartilaginous muscle. This muscle is quite independent, although it is part of the hyoid-lingual, starting on the small horn and having an end on the back of the tongue.
Vertical
It is this paired muscle that creates a special groove on the back of the tongue. By the way, it also makes the tongue flatter and longer.
It starts in the lingual aponeurosis. As the name suggests, it runs vertically on the inside of the tongue and ends at the bottom of the tongue.
Astyl-lingual and palatoglossal
These muscles help the tongue to be more mobile and take on various forms. The awl-lingual has a thin beginning and a fan-shaped end. It is directly connected with the hyoid-lingual muscle and is intertwined with the transverse. The palatoglossus muscle has a similar structure.
Mucoidshell
All muscles are an integral structure that always works in harmony. As mentioned earlier, she never sleeps and is constantly on the move. To prevent injury, the tongue is in a special mucous membrane.
If we talk about the root of the tongue, then its mucous membrane is very smooth, but its lower part and top are rough. This is due to the fact that on these parts of such a small but important organ there are papillae of various shapes, which were mentioned above.
Disease indicator?
In addition to the amazing structure of this small organ, its ability to help in determining the state of he alth is also impressive. What does it look like?
For example, if the tongue becomes dry, it signals dehydration. Is it scary? In fact, yes, because such a symptom indicates a serious intestinal infection, peritonitis, and even internal bleeding, which is not so easy to diagnose. Or it's a clear sign of high blood sugar and thyroid failure.
If there is dryness with a bitter taste when getting up in the morning, a gallbladder examination should be done.
With dysbacteriosis or thrush, the tongue can turn white. By the way, stomatitis can manifest itself in the same raid. And this is not all the symptoms and problems.
An amazing structure of the human body is really the language. What muscle is the most important in it? Obviously, everyone has their own special meaning and purpose. Keep track of the statusyour language and always pay attention to the signals it may give you.
