External Oblique

Function

The external oblique muscle does the following:

• Laterally flexes the spine.
  This means that the external oblique muscle bends the spine to the side (i.e. it moves the ribcage downward to the side towards the pelvis).



• Rotates the spine.
  This means that the external oblique muscle turns the spine to the side (i.e. it twists the torso).



• Compresses the abdominal cavity.
  This means that the external oblique muscle constricts the organs of the abdominal cavity and can increase intra-abdominal pressure (i.e. such as during a valsalva maneuver).

Common Name(s)

"obliques"