Pubococcygeus at a glance
- What it is
- A part of levator ani forming the main muscular floor of the pelvis.
- Location
- Originates from the posterior surface of the body of the pubis and the anterior part of the tendinous arch of levator ani, and inserts into the perineal body, anococcygeal ligament and coccyx.
- Function
- Supports the pelvic viscera and helps maintain urinary and fecal continence.
- Body system
- Muscular · paired (left and right)
- FMA ID
- FMA45855 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)
Key facts
- Innervation: nerve to levator ani (S3–S4) and branches of the pudendal nerve
- Blood supply: inferior gluteal and internal pudendal arteries
Clinical relevance
Damage during childbirth can contribute to pelvic organ prolapse.
Structures next to the pubococcygeus
The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:
- Puborectalis · muscular
- Seminal vesicle · reproductive
- Rectum · digestive
- Prostate · reproductive
- Coccygeus · muscular
- Calcaneal branches of posterior tibial artery · cardiovascular
- External anal sphincter · muscular
- Urinary bladder · urinary
- Skin · skin
- Obturator internus · muscular
References
- Foundational Model of Anatomy: Pubococcygeus (FMA45855). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
- OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §11.2 Naming Skeletal Muscles. Rice University, 2022.
- Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.
Related anatomy
Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.