Outer ear: The part of the ear that is visible along the side of the head. The outer ear consists of the pinna, or auricle (the visible projecting portion of the ear), the external acoustic meatus (the outside opening to the ear canal), and the external ear canal, which leads to the eardrum. The outer ear concentrates air vibrations on the eardrum to make the eardrum vibrate. Search MedTerms:
The muscles of mastication control chewing and include the temporalis, masseter, digastric, and the -glossus muscles of the tongue. Finally, the neck muscles include the sternocleidomastoid and splenius muscles, which move the head.
What is occipital neuralgia? Most of the feeling in the back and top of the head is transmitted to the brain by the two greater occipital nerves. There is one nerve on each side of the head. Emerging from between bones of the spine in the upper neck, the two occipital nerves make their way through muscles at the back of the head and into the scalp. They sometimes reach nearly as far forward as the forehead, but do not cover the face or the area near the ears; other nerves supply these regions.