Browse the corpus

The lateral pterygoid muscle is a craniomandibular muscle that plays a crucial role in the inferior temporal region (see Image. Lateral Pterygoid Muscle). This is active during mastication and mandibular movements - including protrusion (forward movement of the mandible), abduction (depression of the mandible), and mediotrusion (mandibular condyle movement towards the midline). The muscle works particularly during speaking, singing, and clenching. The lateral pterygoid muscle has two heads or bellies. The inferior belly is three times larger than the superior belly. Among all the masticatory muscles, it is the only one with horizontally arranged fibers.[1] Functionally, the muscle is analogous to the temporalis muscle. The fan-shaped temporalis muscle exhibits a continuous range of anteroposterior movements, while the lateral pterygoid muscle exhibits a range of mediolateral and superoinferior movements.[2]