Lateral Rotators of the Hip

What are the Lateral Rotators of the Hip

The lateral rotators of the hip are a group of six short muscles located deep in the gluteal region of the hip. Their main function is to rotate the thigh laterally, or outward at the hip joint. This action is vital in maintaining balance, stability, and changing directions during walking, running, or other activities.

List of Muscles in the Lateral Rotator Group With Their Anatomy

Apart from their common general location, the muscles that laterally rotate the hip also share the following characteristics:

• All these muscles originate from the hip bone.
• They all insert into the femur, specifically into its proximal extremity.
• All of them are innervated by branches of the sacral plexus (L4–S2), except the obturator externus, which is innervated by the lumbar plexus (L1-L4).

Here’s a list of these muscles, arranged from superficial to deep:

Muscle	Origin	Insertion	Innervation	Blood Supply
Piriformis	Anterior surface of sacrum (S2–S4)	Greater trochanter of femur	Nerve to piriformis (S1–S2)	Inferior and superior gluteal arteries, internal pudendal artery, lateral sacral arteries
Gemelli muscles
– Superior gemellus	Ischial spine	Trochanteric fossa of femur (via tendon of obturator internus)	Nerve to obturator internus (L5–S2)	Inferior gluteal artery
– Inferior gemellus	Ischial tuberosity (upper posterior surface)	Trochanteric fossa of femur (via tendon of obturator internus)	Nerve to quadratus femoris (L5–S1)	Inferior gluteal artery
Obturator internus*	— Ischiopubic ramus— Posterior surface of obturator membrane	Trochanteric fossa of femur	Nerve to obturator internus (L5–S2)	Inferior gluteal artery
Quadratus femoris	Lateral surface of ischial tuberosity	Quadrate tubercle of femur	Nerve to quadratus femoris (L4–S1)	Inferior gluteal artery, medial circumflex femoral artery
Obturator externus	— Margins of the obturator foramen— Anteromedial surface of obturator membrane	Trochanteric fossa of femur	Posterior branch of obturator nerve (L3–L4)	Obturator artery, medial circumflex femoral artery

Apart from laterally rotating the thigh at the hip, many of these muscles also assist in adduction when the hip is flexed, effectively bringing the thighs closer together. A common example of this action is crossing the legs while sitting in a chair.

Beyond these primary lateral rotators, other muscles such as the gluteus maximus, sartorius, iliopsoas, and the hip adductors can also contribute to lateral rotation of the hip, particularly when the joint is in extension or partial flexion.

On the other hand, the medial rotators of the hip, the gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, tensor fasciae latae, and the adductor brevis, longus, and magnus, act as antagonists to this movement, producing the opposite movement by rotating the thigh medially at the hip joint.