Middle pharyngeal constrictor

Looks like

A fan-shaped muscle wrapping the middle of the throat, running from the hyoid bone around the back to the midline seam.

What it does

Squeezes the throat in sequence to push each swallow of food down.

Keeping it well

Powered by the vagus nerve. Food sticking, choking or coughing when swallowing needs assessment, especially after a stroke.

Related conditions

• Bad breath (halitosis)
• Botulism
• Burning mouth syndrome
• Common cold
• Diphtheria
• Fibromyalgia
• Frailty & falls in older age
• Hand, foot and mouth disease
• Heat exhaustion & heatstroke
• Influenza
• Lichen planus
• Malnutrition & refeeding syndrome
• Mouth ulcers (aphthous stomatitis)
• Muscular dystrophy
• Obstructive sleep apnoea
• Pemphigus vulgaris
• Polymyalgia rheumatica
• Rhabdomyolysis
• Sarcoma
• Sarcopenia
• Scarlet fever
• Stevens–Johnson syndrome / toxic epidermal necrolysis
• Tetanus