Digastric muscle side; anterior belly may be absent and posterior belly inserted into the middle of the jaw or hyoid bone. The tendon may pass in front, more rarely behind the Stylohoideus. The Mentohyoideus muscle passes from the body of hyoid bone to chin. The Digastricus divides the anterior triangle of the neck into three smaller triangles. The digastric muscle is involved in any complex jaw action such as speaking, swallowing, chewing and breathing. When the digastric muscle contracts, it acts to elevate the hyoid bone. If the hyoid is being held in place (by the infrahyoid muscles), it will tend to
Opponens pollicis muscle Opponens pollicis muscle The opponens pollicis is a small, triangular muscle in the hand, which functions to oppose the thumb. It is one of the three thenar muscles, lying deep to the abductor pollicis brevis and lateral to the flexor pollicis brevis. The opponens pollicis originates from the flexor retinaculum of the hand and the tubercle of the trapezium. It passes downward and laterally, and is inserted into the whole length of the metacarpal bone of the thumb on its radial side. Like the other thenar muscles, the opponens pollicis is innervated by the recurrent branch of the median nerve.