WILTIMS #63: End of Block 1

My official embroidered white coat finally arrived!

It's been a long blur, but the first block of medical school is over! I feel like I've learned so much; yet, it's amazing how much is left to tackle. But the most important thing that I've learned so far is that I really do belong here. It hasn't been easy (and according to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th years it will only get progressively worse), but I'm going to make it through. On to the next course!

TIL: The posterior cricoarytenoid muscles are the sole abductors of the vocal cords. These are the only muscles that open the vocal folds within the trachea, allowing for unimpeded airflow. All of the other intrinsic muscles of the larynx either bring the vocal cords together, allowing them to make sound, or change the length and thickness of the cords to change the pitch.

All but one of these muscles (the cricothyroid muscle) is innervated by the recurrent laryngeal nerve. If you've been following this blog closely from the get go, you may remember the recurrent laryngeal nerve as the branch of the vagus nerve that loops around the arch of the aorta for no apparent reason and then heads back up into the neck. Amazing how long it took for us to connect that nerve with its muscles!