ONE OF THE MOST OBSCURE MUSCLES?

What is one of the most obscure muscles in the body? 

Hint: It’s one of the only ones that contains three “O”s…

Clueless?  :)

It’s the OMOHYOID!

Unlikely enough, the omohyoid arises from the shoulder blade and goes to the hyoid bone just under your chin. As if that weren’t strange enough, it has, like few muscles in the body, a fascial “sling” that divides it into two muscle bellies, the inferior belly arising from the scapula and the superior belly going up to the hyoid. See illustrations below.

More specifics on its origin: there is a notch just medial to the scapula’s coracoid process and just medial to that is the origin of the omohyoid.  Its route from there is first anterior running just under the sternocleidomastoid, where the fascial sling ensheathes it.  Then, via the anterior belly, it runs superio-medially to insert on the lateral part of the inferior hyoid bone. 

The primary function of the omohyoid muscle is to depress and fix the hyoid bone and underlying larynx, drawing the hyoid bone downwards in phonation and in the terminal phase of swallowing.

Here’s a detailed case study of an omohyoid injury caused by receiving a rear-naked choke-hold in jiu jitsu. Omohyoid Muscle Syndrome in a Mixed martial Arts Athlete.

When a client presents with the complaint of often feeling “tongue-tied”, with tension around the anterior throat and larynx, self- stretching of the omohyoid may help.  If, additionally, as is the case in most people, they experience tension in the upper trapezius area, the following simple yoga-type exercise can be remarkably effective.

Exercise to help restore length and relaxation of the omohyoid:

Allow your breathing to be relaxing and full.  Continuing breathing easily and fully during the exercise.

1. Take your shoulders back down and around three times.  Then reverse directions, going forward, down and back three times.

2.  Now take your shoulders up, back and down and hold them there.

3.  Then slowly and thoroughly stick your tongue out as far as you can and curl it down a little toward your chin and hold it there, while you continue to pull your shoulders back and down.  This will elevate the hyoid bone, while you depress the scapulae.

4.  Hold this for one breath. 

5.  Now relax your tongue and shoulders. 

Repeat steps 2-5 two more times.

You may experience remarkable relief from chronic shoulder and neck tension.  With the extended tongue you are drawing the hyoid bone up and with the shoulders drawn down and back you are depressing the scapulae – thus, very effectively stretching the omohyoid. 

note the route and how it attaches to the hyoid bone

check out the “fascial sling”

note how this shows its origin on the scapula