Surface Palpation - Head and Neck - Muscles
Levator Anguli Oris
Sitting or standing
 
Anterior to the patient
 
Please sit (or stand). I would like to check the function of a muscle near the corner of your mouth. Please look at this picture of a person performing a tight, open smile. (Or . . . Please look at me while I smile.) May I touch the skin near the corner of your mouth?
(If the answer is yes) I will gently place my fingers near the corner of your mouth while you smile. Please smile, then relax and then smile again.
(If the answer is no) Please smile, then relax and then smile again while I observe.
The patient/client is sitting (or standing) and either facing a mirror or facing the person who will demonstrate a tight, open smile. After showing a picture or demonstrating the smile, ask the patient/client to smile. With the muscle relaxed initially and with permission, gently place one or two fingers near the corner of the patient/client's mouth and ask the person to smile. Ask the person to relax and repeat these motions if necessary. If permission is not granted, then observe as the person smiles, relaxes and then smiles again.

In each of the videos, the palpation for the levator anguli oris occurs with finger placement near the corner of the mouth. The levator anguli oris pulls the corners of the mouth into the smile. Some of the videos show demonstration of finger placement after muscle activation to allow better viewing. The correct technique of palpation of muscle includes the sequence of muscle activation, relaxation of the muscle, placement of the fingers on the muscle before the muscle is activated, activation of the muscle, and relaxation of the muscle.