What would happen if you did not have the stapedius and tensor tympani muscles? A. The ear canal would stay permanently closed. B. The ear canal would stay permanently open. C. The vestibular canals would be permanently misaligned, resulting in hearing and equilibrium problems. D. Loud sounds would cause the ossicles to move too much, potentially causing damage to the inner ear. E. The cochlea would not be secured in place and might move around.

(D) is the correct option

Explanation:

Both the stapedius and tensor tympani are striated musclesThe stapedius is about 6 mm in length, arises from the pyramidal process and the tendon attaches to the posterior neck of the stapesThe stapedius is a muscle with a high oxidative capacityThe tensor tympani is about 25 mm in length, the muscle is not as strong as the stapedius, and the tendon also contains more elastic tissue and fatThe tensor tympani courses through a bony canal in the wall of the anterior middle ear, and attaches to the neck of the manubriumThe tensor tympani and stapedius muscles are protective reflexesThey reduce the amount of sound that gets into the inner earThey are somewhat similar to the blink reflex thus they can be triggered by loud noise, and when they go off, both ears can be involvedIf stapedius and tensor tympani muscles is not present then loud sounds would cause the ossicles to move too much, potentially causing damage to the inner ear  

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