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# Geniohyoid

The geniohyoid is a short muscle from the inside of the chin to the hyoid bone, above the floor of the mouth; it pulls the hyoid forward.

Official name: Geniohyoid muscle

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## What it is

A short muscle from the inside of the chin to the hyoid, above the mylohyoid.

## What it does

Pulls the hyoid forward.

## Key points

- Main muscle pulling the [hyoid bone](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/hyoid-bone/) and larynx forward in the pharyngeal phase of swallowing; this forward pull helps open the upper oesophageal sphincter
- Lies on the oral surface of the mylohyoid, beside its partner at the midline and under the genioglossus
- Pulling the hyoid forward also widens the airway behind the [tongue](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/tongue/) base

## Key facts

**Origin**
Inferior mental [spine](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/region/spine/)

**Insertion**
Body of the hyoid

**Action**
Pulls the hyoid forward; depresses the [mandible](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/mandible/)

**Nerve**
C1 fibres via the [hypoglossal nerve](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/hypoglossal-nerve/)

**Blood supply**
[Lingual artery](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/lingual-artery/)

## Relations

**Above**
[Genioglossus](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/genioglossus-muscle/), whose lower fibres run alongside it from the inner chin

**Below**
[Mylohyoid](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/mylohyoid-muscle/), which separates it from the anterior belly of the [digastric](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/anterior-belly-of-digastric-muscle/)

**Medial**
Its partner of the other side, in contact at the midline

## How to find it

It cannot be felt. On sagittal MRI it is the short band from the inner chin to the hyoid bone under the genioglossus; in a submental approach it is reached by splitting the mylohyoid raphe.

## Examination

- Bedside palpation during a dry swallow, with fingers on the hyoid bone and the [thyroid cartilage](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/thyroid-cartilage/): a short, slow or weak upward and forward movement suggests poor action of the suprahyoid muscles

## On imaging

On a videofluoroscopic swallow study its work shows as the forward movement of the hyoid bone; reduced hyoid excursion goes with residue in the [pharynx](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/pharynx/) and a higher risk of aspiration.

## Clinical notes

- Weakness of the suprahyoid muscles after stroke, with ageing or after [head and neck](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/region/head-and-neck/) radiotherapy reduces hyoid movement and contributes to dysphagia; head-lift (Shaker) exercises are used to train this group
- Advancing the inner chin (genioplasty or genial tubercle advancement) moves its origin forward, pulling the hyoid and tongue base forward in some operations for obstructive sleep apnoea

## Development

Unlike the other suprahyoid muscles it does not come from a pharyngeal arch: it belongs to the occipital and upper cervical muscle group of the tongue and strap muscles, hence its C1 supply through the hypoglossal nerve.

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## What is the nerve supply of the geniohyoid?

C1 fibres carried by the hypoglossal nerve.

## What role does the geniohyoid play in the pharyngeal phase of swallowing?

It is the main muscle pulling the hyoid and larynx forward, which helps open the upper oesophageal sphincter.

## On a videofluoroscopic swallow study, what does reduced hyoid excursion from geniohyoid weakness go with?

Residue in the pharynx and a higher risk of aspiration.

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Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional.

## Its names

**Official Latin (TA2)**
musculus geniohyoideus TA2 2166

**Official Spanish (DeCS)**
Músculo geniohioideo

**English (TA2)**
Geniohyoid muscle

## Related

- [Hypoglossal nerve (XII)](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/hypoglossal-nerve/)

Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); [Anatomy, Head and Neck: Suprahyoid Muscle](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK546710/); [11.3 Axial Muscles of the Head, Neck, and Back](https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/11-3-axial-muscles-of-the-head-neck-and-back) (OpenStax (Rice University), 2022) · adapted, [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/geniohyoid-muscle/