Generality
The frenulum, or brake, is a thin strip of tissue that serves to fix or limit the movements of certain organs or parts of them.
Lingual frenulum. From wikipedia.org
In the human body, there are several frenula:
- the frenulum of the penis, at the male genital level;
- the frenulum of the clitoris and the frenulum of the labia minora, in the female genital area;
- the frenulum of the tongue, the upper labial frenulum and the inferior labial frenulum, at the oral level;
- the frenulum of the superior medullary veil, at the brain level;
- the frenulum of the ileocecal valve, in the intestine.
Particularly interesting from an anatomical and also from a pathological point of view are the frenulum of the penis and the frenulum of the tongue.
What is the frenulum?
The frenulum, or brake, is a thin flap of tissue that fixes or limits the movement of some moving organs or parts of them.
The word "frenulum" comes from the Latin term "frenulum", which means" little brake "and is the diminutive of"frenum"(ie" brake ").
Types
Several organs of the human body have a frenulum:
- TO male genital level, c "is the so-called frenulum of the penis (or frenulum of the foreskin of the penis or penile frenulum).
- TO female genital level, there are the so-called frenulum of the clitoris and frenulum of the labia minora.
- TO oral level, there are the so-called lingual frenulum, superior labial frenulum and inferior labial frenulum.
- In the"brain, c "is the so-called frenulum of the superior medullary veil (o frenulum veils).
- In the"digestive system, precisely in the intestine, c "is the so-called frenulum of the ileocecal valve.
From the anatomical point of view, among these types of frenulum the frenulum of the penis, the frenula with oral seat and the frenula with seat in the female genital apparatus are particularly relevant.
BRAKING THE PENIS
The frenulum of the foreskin of the penis is that thin band of tissue, with elastic capacity, which resides in the lower part of the glans and connects the latter to the foreskin.
Glans and foreskin are the head of the penis and the sliding skin fold that covers part or all of the glans, respectively.
Returning therefore to the frenulum of the penis, this is visible only when the penis goes into erection and the foreskin slowly begins to uncover the glans.
From a functional point of view, the penile frenulum performs a task in the mechanics of covering / uncovering the glans and a task in the sexual dynamics.
Regarding the first task, it limits the distension of the foreskin, when the penis goes into erection, and allows the correct coverage of the glans, when the penis becomes flaccid again.
It may happen that some men develop an abnormal penile frenulum, unable to fully uncover the glans during an erection. Faced with these circumstances, doctors also speak of a short frenulum (penis).
The short frenulum can cause discomfort during erection and impair sexual activity.
To remedy the inconvenience of the short frenulum, those who have it can undergo a surgery known as frenulotomy. During a frenulotomy, the surgeon cuts the penile frenulum, so that the latter no longer disturbs the erection. and sexual activity.
In addition to being home to numerous nerve endings, the frenulum of the foreskin of the penis is rich in blood vessels.
In case of lacerations of the penile frenulum, due for example to incongruous maneuvers during sexual intercourse, these blood vessels can give rise to discrete blood loss.
For further information: Short frenulum "
LINGUAL BRAKE
The lingual frenulum, or frenulum of the tongue, is the thin tissue band of a fibro-mucous nature, which connects the ventral wall of the tongue (or lower surface of the tongue) to the mucous membrane of the oral floor (or floor of the mouth).
Visible by looking in the mirror and raising the tongue with the mouth open, the lingual frenulum performs the important task of limiting the movements of the tongue.
From the anatomical point of view, the presence, at the base of the frenulum, of two humps, within which there are a series of salivary ducts, deserves a particular mention. These salivary ducts serve as drainage channels for the submandibular (or simply submandibular) salivary glands and sublingual (salivary) glands.
As with the penile frenulum, some people may develop a particularly short lingual frenulum. This anatomical anomaly is called a short lingual frenulum or ankyloglossia.
For further information: Short lingual frenulum "
UPPER LABIAL BRAKE AND LOWER LABIAL BRAKE
The superior labial frenulum is the tissue band of a mucous nature that joins the center of the upper gum to the inner section of the upper lip.
The inferior labial frenulum, on the other hand, is the tissue band of a mucous nature that connects the center of the lower gum with the internal section of the lower lip.
In order to appreciate its presence, readers should stand in front of a mirror and turn their upper and lower lips outwards respectively.
BRAKLE OF THE CLITORIS
The frenulum of the clitoris is the thin band of tissue that joins the two labia minora to the lower surface of the clitoris.
The frenulum of the labia minora, on the other hand, is the posterior junction of the labia minora.
