This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Piriformis muscle (anatomy)

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Piriformis is one of the muscles of the gluteal region. It is located both within the pelvis and posterior to the hip joint.

It originates from the second to fourth lateral masses of the sacrum on its anterior surface and the adjoining sacrotuberous ligament. It passes laterally to exit the pelvis through the greater sciatic foramen. Lying posterior to the femoral head, it inserts into the superior and medial border of the greater trochanter of the femur.

It is innervated by the anterior primary rami of S1 and S2.

Piriformis has many functions:

  • lateral rotation of the thigh in the extended position
  • abduction of the flexed thigh
  • stabilization of the hip joint

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.