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The stomach is a small organ located in the upper abdomen, which is the front part of the torso between the thorax (chest) and pelvis. The abdominal muscles form the abdominal walls, encasing the abdominal cavity and viscera. These muscles support the trunk, allow movement, and hold organs in place by regulating internal abdominal pressure. The stomach itself has a primary muscle called the Muscularis Externa, which has three layers that contract and relax to break down food. The abdominal muscles, on the other hand, include the rectus abdominis, external oblique muscles, internal oblique muscles, and transversus abdominis, among others.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| What is the abdomen? | Colloquially called the gut, belly, tummy, midriff, tucky, or stomach. |
| Location of the abdomen | Front part of the torso between the thorax (chest) and pelvis in humans and other vertebrates. |
| Abdominal wall | Formed of skin, fascia, and muscle encasing the abdominal cavity and viscera. |
| Abdominal muscles | Support the trunk, allow movement, hold organs in place by regulating internal abdominal pressure. |
| Abdominal muscle groups | Transversus abdominis, rectus abdominis, internal oblique, external oblique, pelvic floor, multifidus. |
| Abdominal muscle strains | Overstretching, overuse, violent or poorly performed movement of the trunk, improper technique in sports, lifting heavy objects, laughing, coughing, or sneezing. |
| Abdominal exercises | Pilates, yoga, tai chi, jogging, and other strength and fitness exercises. |
| Abdominal obesity | A condition where abdominal fat or visceral fat has built up excessively between the abdominal organs, increasing the risk of heart disease, asthma, and type 2 diabetes. |
| Stomach | A small organ in the upper abdomen that produces digestive juices, breaks down food, and holds food until it is ready to empty into the small intestine. |
| Muscles of the stomach | Muscularis externa is the primary muscle of the stomach, with three layers that contract and relax to break down food. |
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What You'll Learn
The stomach is part of the abdomen
The stomach is indeed part of the abdomen. The abdomen is the front part of the torso, or trunk, between the thorax (chest) and pelvis in humans and other vertebrates. The abdominal cavity is enclosed by the abdominal muscles at the front and sides, and by part of the vertebral column at the back. The abdominal wall, which is formed of skin, fascia, and muscle, encases the abdominal cavity and viscera.
The abdominal muscles support the trunk, allowing movement and holding organs in place by regulating internal abdominal pressure. The deepest abdominal muscle layer is the transversus abdominis, which has fibres that run perpendicular to the rectus abdominis. The rectus abdominis is the fourth layer of the abdominal wall in the midregion. When contracting, this muscle has the characteristic bumps or bulges that are commonly called a 'six-pack'. The internal oblique layers run upward and forward from the sides of the abdomen, and the external oblique layers form the outermost muscles. The external oblique muscles allow the trunk to twist, but to the opposite side of whichever external oblique is contracting. For example, the right external oblique contracts to turn the body to the left.
The stomach is a small organ in the upper abdomen on the left side of the body. It produces acids and enzymes to help digest food. The top of the stomach connects to a valve called the oesophageal sphincter (a muscle at the end of the oesophagus). The stomach has three layers of muscle that contract and relax to break down food.
The abdominal muscles are linked by having a common site of connection or by fascia. They do not usually work in isolation but in harmony with others. The abdominal muscles work together to control the movement of the spine, pelvis, and rib cage during gait.
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The abdominal muscles support the trunk
The abdominal muscles are the muscles forming the abdominal walls, with the abdomen being the portion of the trunk connecting the thorax and pelvis. The abdominal muscles support the trunk, allow movement, and hold organs in place by regulating internal abdominal pressure. The deep abdominal muscles, together with the intrinsic back muscles, make up the core muscles and help keep the body stable and balanced, and protect the spine.
The transversus abdominis is the deepest muscle layer and its main roles are to stabilise the trunk and maintain internal abdominal pressure. The rectus abdominis is slung between the ribs and the pubis at the front of the pelvis. When contracting, this muscle has the characteristic bumps or bulges that are commonly called ‘the six pack’. The main function of the rectus abdominis is to move the body between the rib cage and the pelvis.
The external oblique muscles are on each side of the rectus abdominis. The external oblique muscles allow the trunk to twist, but to the opposite side of whichever external oblique is contracting. For example, the right external oblique contracts to turn the body to the left. The internal oblique muscles flank the rectus abdominis and are located just inside the hipbones. They operate in the opposite way to the external oblique muscles. For example, twisting the trunk to the left requires the left side internal oblique and the right side external oblique to contract together.
The abdominal muscles are linked together by having a common site of connection or by fascia. Actions associated with abdominal muscle control can be complex. A single muscle does not usually work in isolation but in harmony with others. Physical activity involves a nearly infinite number of variations, all regulated by the brain. For example, the abdominal muscles work together to control the movement of the spine, pelvis, and rib cage during gait.
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The abdominal muscles hold organs in place
The abdominal muscles, or abs, are strong bands of muscles lining the walls of the abdomen, the front part of the torso between the thorax and pelvis. The abdomen is enclosed by the abdominal muscles at the front and sides and by part of the vertebral column at the back. The abdominal muscles are linked by having a common site of connection or by fascia.
The abdominal muscles have many important functions, including holding organs in place, supporting the trunk, and allowing movement. They work together with the intrinsic back muscles to make up the core muscles, which help to keep the body stable and balanced, and protect the spine. The abdominal muscles also help to regulate internal abdominal pressure.
The four main abdominal muscle groups that combine to completely cover the internal organs include the transversus abdominis, the deepest muscle layer, which stabilises the trunk and maintains internal abdominal pressure. The rectus abdominis, which is slung between the ribs and the pubic bone at the front of the pelvis, is responsible for moving the body between the ribcage and the pelvis. When contracting, this muscle forms the characteristic bumps commonly called a "six-pack". The external oblique muscles are located on each side of the rectus abdominis and allow the trunk to twist to the opposite side of the contracting oblique. Finally, the internal oblique muscles flank the rectus abdominis and are located just inside the hipbones. They operate in the opposite way to the external oblique muscles, so twisting the trunk to one side requires the corresponding side's internal oblique and the opposite side's external oblique to contract together.
Abdominal muscle strains can be caused by overstretching, overuse, or violent or poorly performed movements of the trunk, such as during sports or other physical activities. Hernias can also occur in the abdominal muscles when an internal organ pushes through a weak spot in the muscle.
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The abdominal muscles can be strengthened through exercise
The abdomen, colloquially called the stomach, is the front part of the torso between the chest and pelvis in humans. The abdominal muscles form the abdominal walls and support the trunk, allowing movement and holding organs in place by regulating internal abdominal pressure.
- Crunches: Crunches are a classic ab exercise that helps strengthen and tone the abdominal muscles. To do a crunch, lie on your back with your knees bent and perform a crunch by contracting your abdominal muscles and lifting your shoulder blades just off the floor.
- Plank: Planks are an excellent way to target the core muscles and strengthen the abdominal muscles. To do a plank, start on your hands and knees, then place your forearms on the floor and extend your legs. Keep your body in a straight line from your head to your toes, without letting your belly sag. Hold this position for 30 seconds and repeat for 3 sets.
- Boxer Oblique Crunch: Boxer oblique crunches are a more advanced ab exercise that targets the entire core.
- Russian Supine Twists: Russian supine twists are a great move to target the oblique muscles as well as the abdominals. To do this exercise, lie with your back on a ball, stretch your arms out, and put your hands together. Rotate your torso without twisting your shoulders or arms.
- Low abdominal leg raise: This exercise targets the lower abdominal muscles. To do this, bend your knees to a comfortable degree and contract your abdominal muscles to lift your feet off the floor in an arc-like motion.
It is important to note that abdominal exercises should be carefully selected to avoid injury. Consulting a qualified fitness instructor or healthcare professional can help in developing a safe and effective exercise program.
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Muscles in the stomach: Muscularis Externa
The stomach is a large, muscular, and hollow organ with a great capacity to hold food. It is the digestive system's most dilated portion and is located between the oesophagus and the small intestine. The stomach has multiple muscle layers that facilitate waves of brisk peristalsis for the second phase of digestion.
The stomach wall consists of four layers of tissue. From deep (external) to superficial (internal), these are the serosa, muscularis externa, submucosa, and mucosa. The muscularis externa, also known as tunica muscularis, is the smooth muscle located deep to the submucosa. It is made up of three layers: inner oblique, middle circular, and outer longitudinal. The muscularis externa layer produces the churning movements required for mechanical digestion. When these layers contract, they throw the mucosa and submucosa into rugae.
The arrangement of the muscularis externa varies between different stomach regions. In the cardia, the layers are well-developed, creating a sphincter to prevent acid reflux from the stomach into the oesophagus. In the fundus, the muscle is poorly developed as much less churning takes place in this region. The body is composed of all three muscle layers, except in the anterior and posterior parts of the stomach, where the longitudinal muscle layer is largely absent. In the pyloric region, the muscularis externa is well-developed to propel chyme into the duodenum, while its thickened circular layer forms the pyloric sphincter.
The Auerbach or myenteric plexus is a network of neurons located between the longitudinal and circular layers of the gastrointestinal tract's muscularis externa. This plexus regulates gut motility. Housed within the muscularis externa is the myenteric plexus, carrying both sympathetic and parasympathetic fibres to the smooth muscle layers. The neurons of this plexus are linked to smooth muscle cells through interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs). These cells act as intrinsic pacemakers of the gut, controlling the slow contractions of the stomach wall required for churning food.
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Frequently asked questions
The abdominal muscles are the muscles forming the abdominal walls, which encase the abdominal cavity and viscera. They support the trunk, allow movement, and hold organs in place by regulating internal abdominal pressure.
The four main abdominal muscle groups are the transversus abdominis, the deepest muscle layer; the rectus abdominis, which has vertically running muscle fibres; the internal oblique muscles; and the external oblique muscles.
The stomach is a small organ in the upper abdomen, which produces acids and enzymes to help digest food.
The stomach has a primary muscle called the muscularis externa, which has three layers that contract and relax to break down food.
