What muscle is used to move the leg out sideways and which muscle moves it back?
Moving the leg "sideways" is known as abducting the thigh. The
gluteal muscles (gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus) are mostly
responsible for this (there are also some small muscles that help
abduct the thigh when the leg is flexed). Bringing the leg back is
known as adducting the thigh. This is done by several muscles known
as the adductor longus, adductor brevis, adductor magnus, and the
gracilis. Hope this helps! Dr. B.