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Uvular muscle: anatomy, location and function

A small paired muscle forming the core of the uvula. Shortens and raises the uvula.

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Highlighted in the model: Uvular muscle. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The model is an adult male.

Uvular muscle at a glance

What it is
A small paired muscle forming the core of the uvula.
Location
Originates from the posterior nasal spine and palatine aponeurosis and inserts into the mucosa of the uvula.
Function
Shortens and raises the uvula.
Body system
Muscular · single, midline structure
FMA ID
FMA46733 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • Innervation: pharyngeal plexus (vagus nerve, CN X)

Clinical relevance

With a unilateral vagus nerve lesion the palate sags on the affected side and the uvula is pulled toward the healthy side when the patient says 'ah'.

Structures next to the uvular muscle

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Uvular muscle (FMA46733). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §11.2 Naming Skeletal Muscles. Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.

Related anatomy

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.