The fibers of the Levator ani

Levator ani

The levator ani is a broad, thin muscle, situated on the side of the pelvis.It is attached to the inner surface of the side of the lesser pelvis, and unites with its fellow of the opposite side to form the greater part of the floor of the pelvic cavity....

 pass downward and backward to the middle line of the floor of the pelvis

Pelvis

In human anatomy, the pelvis is the lower part of the trunk, between the abdomen and the lower limbs .The pelvis includes several structures:...

; the most posterior are inserted into the side of the last two segments of the coccyx

Coccyx

The coccyx , commonly referred to as the tailbone, is the final segment of the vertebral column. Comprising three to five separate or fused vertebrae below the sacrum, it is attached to the sacrum by a fibrocartilaginous joint, the sacrococcygeal symphysis, which permits limited movement between...

; those placed more anteriorly unite with the muscle of the opposite side, in a median fibrous raphe

Raphe

Raphe has several different meanings in science. Pronounced .In botany and planktology it is commonly used when describing a seam or ridge on diatoms or seeds....

, the anococcygeal body (or anococcygeal ligament, or anococcygeal raphe), which extends between the coccyx and the margin of the anus

Anus

The anus is an opening at the opposite end of an animal's digestive tract from the mouth. Its function is to control the expulsion of feces, unwanted semi-solid matter produced during digestion, which, depending on the type of animal, may be one or more of: matter which the animal cannot digest,...

.

External links

• Image at rsnajnls.org
• Coccyx pain, tailbone pain, coccydynia (Peer-reviewed medical chapter, available free online at eMedicine)