The tensor tympani muscle lies in a bony canal above the pharyngotympanic tube. It originates from the cartilaginous part of the pharyngotympanic tube, the greater wing of the sphenoid, and its own bony canal, and passes through its canal in a posterior direction, ending in a rounded tendon that inserts into the upper part of the handle of the malleus.
Innervation of the tensor tympani is by a branch from the mandibular nerve [V3].