Download Hip External Rotators

Facts about the spine:
The vertebral column, also called the backbone, is made up of 33 vertebrae that are separated
by spongy disks and classified into four distinct areas. The cervical area consists of seven bony
parts in the neck; the thoracic spine consists of 12 bony parts in the back area; the lumbar spine
consists of five bony segments in the lower back area; five sacral* bones; and four coccygeal*
bones.
(* By adulthood, the 5 sacral vertebrae fuse to form one bone, and the 4 coccygeal vertebrae
fuse to form one bone.
Iliopsoas
1. Iliacus
2. Psoas
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o
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Major
Minor
Hip Flexors
abdominal wall (external oblique, internal oblique, transverse abdominis and rectus abdominis muscles).
Abdominal muscles explained
The four main abdominal muscles are:
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Transversus abdominus – the deepest muscle layer. Its main roles are to stabilise the
trunk and maintain internal abdominal pressure.
Rectus abdominus – slung between the ribs and the pubic bone at the front of the pelvis.
This muscle has the characteristic bumps or bulges, when contracting, that are commonly
called ‘the six pack’. The main function of the rectus abdominus is to move the body
between the ribcage and the pelvis.
External oblique muscles – these are on each side of the rectus abdominus. The external
oblique muscles allow the trunk to twist, but to the opposite side of whichever external
oblique is contracting. For example, the right external oblique contracts to turn the body
to the left.
Internal oblique muscles – these flank the rectus abdominus and are located just inside
the hipbones. They operate in the opposite way to the external oblique muscles. For
example, twisting the trunk to the left requires the left side internal oblique and the right
side external oblique to contract together.
The obvious movement is hip extension, the rearward movement of the leg at
the hip. This movement is driven by famous gluteus maximus, known
affectionately as glute max. This is the big butt muscle that connects the pelvis
to the femur. When it contracts, it drives the leg back as it propels the body
forward.
The other movement is rotational. To appreciate this one, we need to look at the
deep muscles, those below glute max. Most of these muscle fibers run
horizontally or nearly so, in a line from the sacrum to a large protrusion on the
outside of the femur. It's easy to see what will happen if these fibers contract–
they pull on the femur, causing it to rotate backwards or laterally in the hip
socket.
Hip External Rotators
Other Names
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Six Deep Lateral Rotator Hip Muscles
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Piriformis
Gemellus Superior
Obturator Internus
Gemellus Inferior
Obturator Externus
Quadratus Femoris