What Muscles Move My Hip?

Welcome to the start of the hip series! Back in physical therapy school the first thing that we nailed down was anatomy. Know what you’re working with is always the best place to start, and we have a lot to work with! 

Your hip can move in just about any direction; and boy does it have A LOT of muscles that help with different movements. Before we get to the muscles, let’s go over the different movements of the hip:

• Flexion

  • Bringing your leg in front of your body

• Extension

  • Bringing your leg behind your body

• Adduction

  • Bringing your leg towards the center of your body

• Abduction

  • Bringing your leg out to the side away from your body

• Internal Rotation

  • Rotating your leg in (if you were sitting and you brought your foot out away from your body, your hip would be rotating in)

• External Rotation

  • Rotating your leg out (like putting one foot on your opposite knee, such as in figure 4 or pigeon stretches)

Whew! We have the movements out of the way. Now time to get real nerdy! Here are all the muscles that help with each of the movements (…and yes! A lot of them do more than one!)

• Hip Flexion

  • Psoas Major & Minor; Iliacus; Pectineus; Rectus Femoris; Sartorius (think front of hip & quads)

• Hip Extension

  • Glute Max; Semitendinosus; Semimembranosus; Biceps Femoris (your butt and hamstrings)

• Hip Adduction

  • Adductor Magnus, Longus, & Brevis; gracilis; Pectineus; Quadratus Femoris  (inside of leg & groin region)

• Hip Abduction

  • Glute Medius; Glute Min; Tensor Fascia Latae (side hip)

• Hip Internal Rotation

  • Tensor Fascia Latae; Glute Min; Pectineus; Gracilis

• Hip External Rotation

  • Glute Max; Superior & Inferior Gemelli; Obturator Internus (part of pelvic floor!) & Externus, Quadratus Femoris; Piriformis; Sartorius

Live around Richmond, VA and want to learn more about your hip, in person? Sign up for our next Second Saturday Share at Body Arc: Fixing Hip Pain with Squats on January 14 at 1pm. See you there!