Levator Veli Palatini
Soft Palate · Head & Neck
The levator veli palatini is the principal elevator of the soft palate. It arises from the petrous part of the temporal bone and the cartilage of the auditory (Eustachian) tube and passes downward and medially to insert into the palatine aponeurosis, forming a sling that lifts the palate. During swallowing and yawning it raises the soft palate to press it against the posterior pharyngeal wall, sealing off the nasopharynx so that food and liquid do not enter the nose. It is innervated, like most palatal and pharyngeal muscles, by the vagus nerve (CN X) through the pharyngeal plexus.
Origin, Insertion, Action & Nerve
Origin
Petrous part of the temporal bone and cartilage of the auditory (Eustachian) tube
Insertion
Palatine aponeurosis
Action
Elevates the soft palate during swallowing and yawning
Nerve
Vagus nerve (CN X) via the pharyngeal plexus
Attachments explained
The Levator Veli Palatini is defined first by where it attaches. Its origin is the more fixed anchor, usually the proximal or more stable end that stays put during contraction, while its insertion is the more mobile point that is pulled toward the origin when the muscle shortens.
Origin
Petrous part of the temporal bone and cartilage of the auditory (Eustachian) tube
Insertion
Palatine aponeurosis
Action & function
When the Levator Veli Palatini contracts, it produces the following movement: Elevates the soft palate during swallowing and yawning.
As part of the Soft Palate group of the Head & Neck, it works alongside neighbouring muscles to generate smooth, coordinated movement and to stabilise the structures it acts on.
Nerve supply & clinical relevance
The Levator Veli Palatini receives its nerve supply from the Vagus nerve (CN X) via the pharyngeal plexus.
Because a muscle can only contract when its nerve is intact, injury to the Vagus nerve can weaken or paralyse the Levator Veli Palatini, impairing the movements it normally produces (elevates the soft palate during swallowing and yawning). This is why knowing the innervation is central to localising nerve lesions in clinical practice.
How to study the Levator Veli Palatini (the OIANS method)
Read the action from the name and the fibre direction. The muscle descends from the skull base to the palate, so contracting it lifts the palate up and back, hence levator. Visualising a sling that hoists the soft palate against the pharyngeal wall makes its role in closing the nasopharynx during swallowing obvious.
Contrast it directly with tensor veli palatini to keep the palatal pair straight. Both attach near the auditory tube, but the levator elevates and is supplied by the vagus, while the tensor tenses and is supplied by CN V3. Remembering elevator equals vagus, tensor equals trigeminal resolves the two muscles at a stroke.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Levator Veli Palatini located?
The Levator Veli Palatini is a muscle of the Soft Palate group, located in the Head & Neck.
What is the origin of the Levator Veli Palatini?
Petrous part of the temporal bone and cartilage of the auditory (Eustachian) tube
What is the insertion of the Levator Veli Palatini?
Palatine aponeurosis
What movements does the Levator Veli Palatini produce?
Elevates the soft palate during swallowing and yawning
What nerve supplies the Levator Veli Palatini?
Vagus nerve (CN X) via the pharyngeal plexus
Is the Levator Veli Palatini free to study in OIANS?
The Levator Veli Palatini is always free to browse. Its full origin, insertion, action and nerve details are open to everyone in the Muscle Directory. Quiz and Flashcard practice for the Head & Neck is part of the one-time Lifetime upgrade, though; only the Upper Limb decks are free to test yourself on.
Related muscles
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