
The abdominal muscles are made up of three flat muscular sheets: the external oblique, the internal oblique, and the transverse abdominis. The first three muscle layers extend between the vertebral column, the lower ribs, and the hip bone. The abdominal muscles support the trunk, allow movement, and hold organs in place. The muscle layer in the stomach is made up of three sub-layers that each pull the stomach in different directions, moving the contents of the stomach around and crushing food into pulp.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Composition | Skin, fascia, and muscle |
| Function | Support the trunk, allow movement, hold organs in place, and are distensible |
| Layers | Three sub-layers that each pull the stomach in different directions |
| Muscle layers | External oblique, internal oblique, and transverse abdominis, supplemented in front on each side of the midline by rectus abdominis |
| Fibre direction | The fibres of the external oblique are directed downward and forward, those of the internal oblique upward and forward, and those of the transverse horizontally forward |
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What You'll Learn
- The muscle layer is made up of three sub-layers that each pull the stomach in different directions
- The abdominal muscles support the trunk, allowing movement and holding organs in place
- The first three muscle layers extend between the vertebral column, the lower ribs, and the hip bone
- The abdominal wall is formed of skin, fascia, and muscle
- The deep abdominal muscles, together with the intrinsic back muscles, make up the core muscles

The muscle layer is made up of three sub-layers that each pull the stomach in different directions
The stomach is lined by several layers, including mucous membrane tissue, connective tissue, and muscle tissue. The muscle layer is made up of three sub-layers that each pull the stomach in different directions. These sub-layers are called the external oblique, internal oblique, and transverse abdominis. The first three muscle layers extend between the vertebral column, the lower ribs, and the iliac crest and pubis of the hip bone. The fibres of these muscles criss-cross, with the external oblique fibres directed downward and forward, the internal oblique fibres upward and forward, and the transverse fibres horizontally forward. These muscles work together to move the contents of the stomach around, crushing, churning, and mixing solid food into a pulp. They also move pre-digested food towards the small intestine when it is ready, after about three hours.
The abdominal muscles support the trunk, allow movement, and hold organs in place. They are also distensible, meaning they can accommodate dynamic changes in the volume of abdominal contents. 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.
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The abdominal muscles support the trunk, allowing movement and holding organs in place
The abdominal muscles are made up of three flat muscular sheets: the external oblique, the internal oblique, and the transverse abdominis. These muscles are supplemented in front on each side of the midline by the rectus abdominis. The first three muscle layers extend between the vertebral column, the lower ribs, and the iliac crest and pubis of the hip bone. Their fibres all merge toward the midline, where they surround the rectus abdominis in a sheath before they meet the fibres from the opposite side at the linea alba.
The abdominal muscles can be strained by overstretching, overuse, or a violent, poorly performed movement of the trunk. They can also be strained by improper technique while playing sports that require running, turning, and jumping, lifting heavy objects, laughing, coughing, or sneezing.
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The first three muscle layers extend between the vertebral column, the lower ribs, and the hip bone
The abdominal muscles are composed of three flat muscular sheets, from without inward: external oblique, internal oblique, and transverse abdominis. These first three muscle layers extend between the vertebral column, the lower ribs, and the hip bone. The fibres of the external oblique are directed downward and forward, while those of the internal oblique are directed upward and forward, and those of the transverse horizontally forward. The fibres all merge towards the midline, where they surround the rectus abdominis in a sheath before they meet the fibres from the opposite side at the linea alba. The rectus abdominis extends from the pubis upward to the ribs.
The abdominal muscles support the trunk, allow movement, hold organs in place, and are distensible (being able to accommodate dynamic changes in the volume of abdominal contents). 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.
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The abdominal wall is formed of skin, fascia, and muscle
The abdominal wall is composed of three flat muscular sheets, from without inward: external oblique, internal oblique, and transverse abdominis, supplemented in front on each side of the midline by rectus abdominis. The first three muscle layers extend between the vertebral column, the lower ribs, and the iliac crest and pubis of the hip bone. Their fibres all merge toward the midline, where they surround the rectus abdominis in a sheath before they meet the fibres from the opposite side at the linea alba. The rectus abdominis extends from the pubis upward to the ribs.
The fibres of the external oblique are directed downward and forward, those of the internal oblique upward and forward, and those of the transverse horizontally forward. Strength is developed in these rather thin walls by the crisscrossing of fibres. In the region of the groin, between the pubic bone and the anterior superior iliac spine, a specialised arrangement of these fibres permits the formation of the inguinal canal, a passage through the muscular layers.
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The deep abdominal muscles, together with the intrinsic back muscles, make up the core muscles
The abdominal wall is formed of skin, fascia, and muscle, encasing the abdominal cavity and viscera. The abdominal muscles support the trunk, allow movement, hold organs in place, and can accommodate dynamic changes in the volume of abdominal contents. 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 abdominal muscles are composed of three flat muscular sheets, from without inward: external oblique, internal oblique, and transverse abdominis, supplemented in front on each side of the midline by rectus abdominis. The first three muscle layers extend between the vertebral column, the lower ribs, and the iliac crest and pubis of the hip bone. Their fibres all merge toward the midline, where they surround the rectus abdominis in a sheath before they meet the fibres from the opposite side at the linea alba.
The fibres of the external oblique are directed downward and forward, those of the internal oblique upward and forward, and those of the transverse horizontally forward. Around the rectus abdominis, which extends from the pubis upward to the ribs, the above muscles are all fibrous. In the region of the groin, between the pubic bone and the anterior superior iliac spine, a specialised arrangement of these fibres permits the formation of the inguinal canal, a passage through the muscular layers.
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Frequently asked questions
The abdominal wall is made of skin, fascia, and muscle.
The abdominal muscles support the trunk, allow movement, hold organs in place, and are distensible (being able accommodate dynamic changes in the volume of abdominal contents).
The core muscles are made up of the deep abdominal muscles and the intrinsic back muscles.
The three flat muscular sheets that make up the abdominal muscle are the external oblique, internal oblique, and transverse abdominis.
The fibres of the external oblique are directed downward and forward, those of the internal oblique upward and forward, and those of the transverse horizontally forward.









































