Hyoid bone (Os hyoideum)
Educational content only — not medical advice.
Anatomy
A U-shaped unpaired bone above the larynx at the C3 level — the only bone in the body that articulates with no other; it is suspended by muscles and ligaments between the tongue root, larynx and skull base, anchoring the suprahyoid and infrahyoid muscle groups.
Clinical notes
Hyoid fracture is a classic forensic sign of strangulation; its upward movement during swallowing is a key clinical indicator of swallowing (deglutition) function.
Related structures
Educational references
FAQ
What is the role of the Hyoid bone?
A U-shaped unpaired bone above the larynx at the C3 level — the only bone in the body that articulates with no other; it is suspended by muscles and ligaments between the tongue root, larynx and skull base, anchoring the suprahyoid and infrahyoid muscle groups.
Why is the Hyoid bone clinically important?
Hyoid fracture is a classic forensic sign of strangulation; its upward movement during swallowing is a key clinical indicator of swallowing (deglutition) function.
Source & license
Derived from Z-Anatomy (Gauthier Kervyn et al.), CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/); upstream geometry from BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science. license details