đź’Ş External Oblique

Brian Lee
Aug 27, 2025
Review Pending
Table of Contents

Summary

Origins
External surfaces of ribs 5–12
Insertions
Linea Alba
📍 Pubic Tubercle
Anterior half of iliac crest
Actions
Compresses abdominal contents; flexes and rotates trunk (contralateral rotation)

Illustrations

External oblique muscle, left
Henry Vandyke Carter, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Etymology

🤖

The term “external oblique” has Latin roots commonly used in anatomical nomenclature:

Thus, “external oblique” refers to the outermost of the obliquely (diagonally) arranged abdominal muscles. It’s distinguished from the internal oblique, which lies beneath it and has fibers running at roughly right angles to those of the external oblique. The terminology describes both position (external) and fiber direction (oblique).

References