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These muscles involve the posterior portion of the airway and also involve the tongue, especially the posterior aspect of the tongue. The tongue muscles are further divided into two groups, the extrinsic and the intrinsic. The extrinsic muscles have some boney support and the intrinsic have no boney support (Table 3.2).

The human tongue is a unique structure. The tongue functions as what is known as a muscular hydrostat [10]. This means that the tongue as a structure is filled with compressible liquid. As such the tongue can go through many different movements while always maintaining a constant volume. This explains how the tongue, especially the base of the tongue, when it is laying flat, has the potential to occupy more of the oropharynx and hence be a factor in airway compromise.