The piriformis abducts the thigh when the hip is flexed. Which option best reflects this action?

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The piriformis acts as an abductor when the hip is flexed. In this position, the muscle’s line of pull changes so that it helps move the thigh away from the midline rather than rotating it outward or extending the leg. When the hip is extended, the same muscle functions mainly as an external rotator, but with the hip flexed it shifts toward abduction. So describing the action as abducting the thigh best matches the muscle’s behavior in flexion. The other options don’t fit this specific position: extension and external rotation are more characteristic of the hip when it’s not flexed, and adduction involves moving the thigh toward the midline, which isn’t the piriformis’s role in flexion.