Omohyoid
The omohyoid is a neck muscle that passes across the side of the neck from the scapula ('shoulder blade') to the hyoid bone. It consists of two fleshy bellies united by a central tendon.
The two bellies of the omohyoid muscle are:
- The inferior belly - the lower part of the omohyoid muscle which is attached to the upper ('superior') border of the scapula ('shoulder blade'), and
- The superior belly - the upper part of the omohyoid muscle which is inserted into the lower border of the body of the hyoid bone, lateral to the insertion of the sternohyoid muscle.
These two 'bellies' are joined together by an inter-muscular tendon. This central tendon is held in place by a fascia that sheaths it and is attached to the clavicle and first rib. This tendon overlies the internal jugular vein.
The points of origin and insertion, and the actions of the omohyoid muscle:
| Origin: | Superior border of the scapula |
| Insertion: | The hyoid bone |
| Action: | Depresses the hyoid bone and carries it backwards and to the side. |
The omohyoid is one of the muscles of the head, neck, and face taught as part of many courses in Indian Head Massage. As this is a popular therapy we have included several pages that may be of interest to students of Indian Head Massage. See, for example, the page about skeletal structures of the head and neck.
See the page about Facial Muscles to view the location of the omohyoid muscle. (This page consists of an interactive, rather than just a labelled, diagram, so you'll have to test yourself by guessing which muscle is the omohyoid until you find the correct label.)
More about Muscles:
- The structure of muscle tissue and the structure of muscle cells
- Labelled diagrams of the muscles in different parts of the body including anterior muscles, posterior muscles and facial muscles
- Various other pages about e.g. types of muscle contractions, movements at joints, muscular disorders and related topics such as books about sports medicine
- Anterior Muscles
- Posterior Muscles
- Facial Muscles
- Muscle Terminology (Definitions)
- 1. Structure of Muscle
- 2. Structure of Muscle Cells
- 3. Muscle Filaments
- 4. Sliding Filament Theory
- 5. Neuromuscular Junction
- 6. Actions at Neuromuscular Junction
- Types of Muscle Contractions
- Muscular Disorders
- Effects of exercise on muscles
