Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1476304
Obturator internus: Changes its line of pull. Coccygeus: An easily accessible muscle of the pelvic fl oor. 16 17 scapula when the arm raises into abduction and/or exion (scapulohumeral rhythm). The gluteus medius is underappreciated in its size because it is next to the largest muscle in the human body—the gluteus maximus. But the gluteus medius is, in its own right, a tremendously large and cool muscle. 16. OBTURATOR INTERNUS Staying with the theme of the hip joint, we have the obturator internus, which is another member of the deep lateral rotator group. What makes the obturator internus so interesting is that it turns around a fulcrum created by the pelvic bone that changes its line of pull by 90 degrees. Very few muscles in the human body change their line of pull so dramatically. Cool! 17. COCCYGEUS The coccygeus is a pelvic oor muscle, but one that can be easily accessed and worked with massage. Most pelvic oor musculature is the province of physical therapists and manual therapy physicians who are licensed to work the pelvic oor by entering a body ori ce (vagina or anus). However, the coccygeus is easily accessible for manual therapy from the outside. A further aspect that quali es this muscle as cool is that its line of pull actually crosses the sacroiliac joint (SIJ) and can therefore have a role in SIJ function and dysfunction. The coccygeus lies directly inferior to the piriformis and attaches from the ischial spine to the coccyx and sacrum. In fact, it attaches just as much to the sacrum as it does onto its eponymous coccyx. I believe that if this muscle had sacrum in its name (perhaps ischiosacralis or something similar), it would be viewed as a much more important and massage-friendly muscle by therapists. 104 m a s s a g e & b o d y wo r k s e p te m b e r/o c to b e r 2 0 2 2 Coccygeus Obturator internus Superior gemellus Inferior gemellus Piriformis Levator ani