Pictured above is the piriformis. It is one of the lateral rotator muscles of the hip, and rotates your leg so that your toes point outward. Because of the location of this muscle in relation to the sciatic nerve, releasing excessive tension in this muscle can dramatically improve sciatica symptoms. (click here for a list of all the muscles)
The muscles on the left are layered, showing how some of the muscles are covered by the others. All of the muscles are see-through so that you can appreciate the location and size of each muscle relative to the others.
Individual hip, lower back & thigh muscles you might be interested in: (any inactive links will be live soon)
Muscle that crosses the hip/lower back joint and crosses the hip/thigh joint (attaches to the spine and the femur)
Muscles that attach to the hip and the spine and/or ribs
- Rectus Abdominus
- External Abdominal Oblique
- Internal Abdominal Oblique
- Transverse Abdominus
- Latissimus Dorsi
- Iliocostalis Lumborum
- Longissimus Thoracis
- Quadratus Lumborum
- Multifidi
Muscles that attach to the hip and the thigh bone (femur)
- Iliacus
- Adductor Magnus
- Adductor Longus
- Adductor Brevis
- Pectineus
- Gluteus Maximus
- Gluteus Medius
- Gluteus Minimus
- Piriformis
- Superior Gemellus
- Obturator Internus
- Inferior Gemellus
- Obturator Externus
- Quadratus Femoris
Good luck working out those tight knots.
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