The hip bone is a large, flattened, irregularly shaped bone, constricted in the center and expanded above and below. The hip region is located lateral to the gluteal region ( buttock ), inferior to the iliac crest, and overlying the greater trochanter of the thigh bone. In adults, three of the bones of the pelvis have fused into the hip bone which forms part of the hip region. The hip joint, scientifically referred to as the acetabulofemoral joint , is the joint between the femur and acetabulum of the pelvis. The hip joint is designed for both mobility and stability. The hip joint allows your entire lower extremity to move in three planes of motion:
Your hip joint provides vital shock absorption to the torso and upper body as well as stability during standing and other weight-bearing activities. The hip is comprised of four main components:
Bones of the Hip
The hip bone, innominate bone or coxal bone is a large, flattened, irregularly shaped bone, constricted in the center and expanded above and below. It has one of the few ball and socket synovial joints in the body.The hip is a ball-and-socket joint uniting two separate bones – the thighbone, or femur, and the pelvis
Your thighbone is the longest bone in the body and connects into the pelvis at your hip joint. The head of the thighbone is shaped like a ball and fits tightly into the socket, forming the ball-and-socket joint of the hip.
The socket is lined with cartilage, which cushions your bones during weight-bearing activities and allows the joint to rotate smoothly and freely in all directions with minimal friction.
The complex system of ligaments connects your thighbone to the pelvis and is essential for stability, keeping your hip from moving outside of its normal range of motion.The hip joint is reinforced by five ligaments, of which four are extracapsular and one intracapsular.
There are three extracapsular ligament.All three strengthen the capsule and prevent an excessive range of movement in the joint. Of these, the Y-shaped and twisted iliofemoral ligament is the strongest ligament in the human body.
The intracapsular ligament, the ligamentum teres, is attached to a depression in the acetabulum (the acetabular notch) and a depression on the femoral head (the fovea of the head). It is only stretched when the hip is dislocated
The muscles of your hip joint have two jobs. One is to work together to provide power for the hip to move in all directions. The other is to stabilize the entire leg and foot.The hip muscles support the body's weight, are instrumental in the ability to walk and are involved to some degree in every full body movement. The hip muscles control the ball and socket hip joint and sit at the vital junctures where the legs meet the pelvis and the pelvis meets the spine
