Muscle · Hips

Obturator externus

Musculus obturator externus

The odd one out among the short rotators. It sits on the outside of the obturator membrane at the front of the pelvis, then its tendon runs backward underneath the neck of the femur to reach the trochanteric fossa — so a muscle that starts at the front of the body ends up rotating the hip outward from behind. That course also puts it directly beneath the femoral head, where it acts as a living sling under the neck. It is the only short rotator supplied by the obturator nerve, which is a useful reminder that it develops with the adductors rather than with the gluteal group.