What part of the body is larynx?

 

 What part of the body is the Larynx?.

A student of mine recently asked me what part of the body is the Larynx. I thought I knew the answer, but when he asked me for more detail, I realized I was guessing. This made me realize that most people don't know where the Larynx (or voice box) is either! While knowing where the Larynx isn't all that important, getting to know more about it will help you understand its role in your body and how diseases and disorders of the Larynx can affect your quality of life and ability to speak clearly.

The Larynx Is Not in the Throat

What part of the body is the Larynx? It's not in your throat! The Larynx, called the voice box, is in your neck. It's a cartilage that sits at the top of your windpipe and helps you talk. When you have a cold or allergies and can't speak as loudly or clearly, something in your throat has gone wrong. We know it doesn't sound right, but we promise you're still right about everything else! Let us explain. Many people mistakenly think that their throat houses the Larynx, but that's where your voice comes from. The Larynx is in your chest (in front of the trachea).

Here are some more interesting facts about this fascinating organ:

- A healthy Larynx should be pink and moist

- A swollen Larynx may be due to inflammation (like an infection)

- Your lungs are connected to your Larynx through tiny airways called bronchi

The Larynx Is in the Neck

When someone says Larynx, what do you picture in your mind's eye? That might be a picture of a voice box or breathing apparatus for many. The truth is that the Larynx is located at the neck. It's an organ that helps process air, food and liquids and aids speech. It has four parts: vocal cords (vocal folds), epiglottis (or tongue flap), cricoid cartilage and thyroid cartilage. So next time someone asks you What part of the body is the Larynx? Remember this simple answer!

To help understand how all these pieces work together, let's start by describing how air moves through your windpipe into your lungs when you breathe. Your trachea (windpipe) branches off from your throat. On both sides are cilia – tiny hairs – which wave back and forth like a field of wheat blown by a gentle breeze. This movement pushes any debris out of your windpipe so you can breathe easily. When you inhale, the inside walls of your trachea expand outwardly because they are elastic, much like blowing up a balloon. But when you exhale, they contract again because they're made of muscle and elastic connective tissue.

The Larynx Houses the Vocal Cords

What part of the body is the Larynx? The answer might surprise you. The throat, or pharyngeal region, which includes everything from your tongue to your oesophagus, comprises many different parts. One such area that people often confuse for being the Larynx is called laryngopharyngeal reflux. This condition occurs when stomach acid flows up into your throat and causes irritation. This may happen when you eat or drink something that triggers a reflex action in your upper digestive system. It can also happen if you have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and have not yet been diagnosed. You could have an underlying medical condition that causes food to come back up through the oesophagus and into your windpipe.

The Larynx Helps to Regulate Breathing

The vocal box also called the Larynx, is a cartilaginous structure in the neck that houses vocal cords and acts as an air passage for breathing. In addition to helping you breathe, it can also help you speak and protect your trachea from food or foreign objects that might get lodged in it. The location of the Larynx has been debated for centuries, with some experts saying it's below your Adam's apple and others saying it's at the top of your windpipe. Researchers used CT scans to find out where it is. Turns out, most people have their larynxes just above their windpipes. Scientists verified this using volumetric computed tomography (CT) scanning, which gives doctors 3D pictures of any organs inside your body. We still don't know some things about our larynxes, though. For example, no one knows how it evolved or what happens when you swallow if the Larynx is there. But luckily, we still have questions left to answer!

Anatomy of the Larynx

The Larynx is the vocal organ in vertebrates that houses the vocal cords and functions as an air passage and a sound box. It sits on top of the trachea, just below where it divides into left and right bronchi, but above where it branches off into smaller tubes called bronchioles. The term laryngeal means related to or about this organ. The word itself comes from the Latin laríngea meaning throat. Larynxes are found in all tetrapods (animals with four limbs) except for bats. They also have been found to have existed independently between 485-374 million years ago and still do exist today. There are three different types of larynges based on their location relative to the trachea; anterior (ventral), middle (dorsal), and posterior (caudal). Anterior larynges sit at the base of the tongue and are most commonly associated with animals such as birds and fish. Middle larynges sit just behind the root of the tongue, most commonly seen in mammals such as cats, pigs, cows, deer and humans. Posterior larynges sit at the back of the mouth near where food enters. 

Functions of the Larynx

The Larynx is a fascinating and powerful organ. Part of our respiratory system separates us from other species that must periodically stop breathing for extended periods. The breathing cycle starts in the chest and stomach, where we inhale air. This air then travels down into the windpipe and on into the lungs. While this air travels, it will pass over your vocal cords housed in your Larynx. Vocal cords are made up of two long bands of muscles that stretch across your throat. When you inhale, these muscles relax and open up your throat so that you can take a breath through them. Your vocal cords close together while the air passes through them like a tunnel, forcing the air upward towards your nose.