Anatomy: Pelvic Floor Muscles

This diagram depicts the numerous muscles of the pelvic floor. I drew it myself. A lot of pelvic health problems arise because, just like any other muscle in the body, they can become weak or tight and even have painful trigger points and areas of spasm. 

 This view is of a person lying on their back and looking from the feet up. All of the coloured parts are different muscles and they all work very closely together. As you can see, the muscles around the anus are a lot bigger than the ones at the front which is one reason that urinary incontinence is so common. 

 These muscles attach to all sides of the pelvis, therefore contributing to the stability of the joints, SIJ included. If a person has increased laxity in any of the pelvic joints, this can cause the muscles to work overtime and subsequently become tight/spasmed, creating more pain. They also attach to the coccyx and can cause tailbone pain (coccydynia) if the muscles are very tight and constantly pulling on the joint. 

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