Puborectalis at a glance
- What it is
- The most medial part of levator ani, forming a sling around the anorectal junction.
- Location
- Originates from the posterior surface of the body of the pubis on each side and loops behind the anorectal junction, joining its counterpart as a U-shaped sling.
- Function
- Pulls the anorectal junction forward, maintaining the anorectal angle that helps preserve fecal continence.
- Body system
- Muscular · paired (left and right)
- FMA ID
- FMA45857 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)
Key facts
- Innervation: nerve to levator ani (S3–S4) and the pudendal nerve (inferior rectal branch)
- Unlike the rest of levator ani it has no attachment to the coccyx; it simply loops around the bowel.
- At rest it holds the anorectal angle at roughly 90 degrees; the angle straightens during defecation.
Clinical relevance
Relaxation of this sling is required for defecation.
Structures next to the puborectalis
The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:
- Pubococcygeus · muscular
- Prostate · reproductive
- Seminal vesicle · reproductive
- Calcaneal branches of posterior tibial artery · cardiovascular
- External anal sphincter · muscular
- Skin · skin
- Rectum · digestive
- Urinary bladder · urinary
- Coccygeus · muscular
- Deferent duct · reproductive
References
- Foundational Model of Anatomy: Puborectalis (FMA45857). 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.