ANATOMY

Detailed explanation-1: -Peristalsis is a series of wave-like muscle contractions that move food through the digestive tract. It starts in the esophagus where strong wave-like motions of the smooth muscle move balls of swallowed food to the stomach.

Detailed explanation-2: -Peristalsis squeezes your esophageal muscles from top to bottom. This pushes food and liquid along. If you could see peristalsis, it would look like a wave passing down your esophagus. To keep food and liquids moving in the right direction, your digestive tract has special muscles along its course called sphincters.

Detailed explanation-3: -Where does peristalsis occur? Peristalsis occurs throughout your GI tract, but especially in your esophagus. When you swallow, your throat (pharynx) begins the process by pushing food and fluids down into your esophagus (food pipe), which leads to your stomach.

Detailed explanation-4: -[18] The superior, medial, and inferior pharyngeal constrictor muscles do what their name implies, constrict the pharynx; this is done in a coordinated fashion to help propel the food bolus toward the upper esophageal sphincter (UES).

Detailed explanation-5: -Once inside your esophagus, waves of muscular contractions (peristalsis) push the food downward.