Our mother nature is an engineer with unique abilities. There is nothing superfluous in any human body - any organ or part of the body is an important element of the whole organism. Without them, we could not fully exist on earth. Any system deserves responsible attention, including musculoskeletal. This is a kind of framework on which almost all organs rest, and therefore the anatomy of the hip joint should be known to each of us.
What is a hip joint?
Movement is life, and hardly anyone is going to dispute this statement. Rather, anyone will agree with him. It is due to the presence of the hip joint that the upper body is connected to the lower extremities. Moreover, the joint is highly mobile in almost any direction. Thanks to him, we move, take a sitting position and can make other movements.
The hip joint is the strongest part of the skeletal system, because it takes a lot of stress when we jog, just take a leisurely walk or rush to work. And so throughout life. You can guess that if any pathology of the rolling stock occurs, this can lead to different consequences: from light to the most severe. Not everyone will be happy about the prospect of being confined to a bed for a long time.
Joint structure
The anatomy of the hip joint is formed by the combination of the pelvic and femur, and in shape it resembles a cup. More precisely, it is a combination of the acetabulum of the pelvic bone with the femoral head using ligaments and cartilage, of which there are a lot. Moreover, the head of the femur is immersed in this cavity more than half.
The cavity itself, as well as most of the joint, is covered by hyaline cartilage. And those places in which the muscles are connected to the joint are covered with fiber based on friable tissue. Inside the pelvic cavity there is connective tissue surrounded by synovial fluid.
This bone framework has a unique structure. Since, having the ability to withstand heavy loads, it is characterized by good strength. However, it does have some vulnerabilities. From the inside, the acetabulum is lined with connective tissue, through which the blood vessels and nerve endings pass.
Functionality and motor task
The anatomy of the hip joint provides the main motor function for a person - walking, running, and more. Freedom of movement is observed in any plane or direction. In addition, the bone frame holds the entire body in position, forming the correct posture.
The joint provides flexion and extension of the person. Moreover, bending is practically not limited by anything, with the exception of the abdominal muscles, and the angle can be up to 122 degrees. But you can only accelerate to an angle of 13 degrees. In this case, the ileo-femoral ligament, stretching, begins to slow down the movement. In the further movement back, the lower back is already participating.
The joint also provides external and internal rotation of the thigh due to movement relative to the vertical axis. Normally, the rotation angle is 40-50 degrees.
Due to the spherical structure (the anatomy of the hip joint is distinguished by this characteristic feature), it becomes possible to rotate the pelvis relative to the lower extremities. The optimal amplitude is determined based on the size of the wings of the ilium, the greater trochanter and the angle of two axes (vertical and longitudinal) of the thigh. It all depends on the angle of the femoral neck, which changes as a person grows older. Therefore, this affects the changing gait of people.
Thus, the main functions of the hip joint can be distinguished:
- main support for the pelvis;
- bone connection;
- the ability to bend and unbend limbs;
- abduction, reduction of legs;
- limb movement in and out;
- the possibility of circular rotation of the thigh.
Based on even this, one can understand how important this joint is for our body.
Ligaments
The ligaments of the hip joint are responsible for the performance of the main functions. Human anatomy has several types. Each of them has its own name:
- iliac femoral (lig. iliofemorale);
- pubic-femoral ligament (lig. pubofemorale);
- sciatic-femoral (lig. ischiofemorale);
- ligament of the femoral head (lig. capitis femoris).
All this is formed into a single system, which allows you to make different movements.
Iliac thigh ligament
In the whole body, it is the strongest, since it takes on the entire load. Its thickness is not more than 0.8-10 mm. The ligament originates in the upper part of the joint and continues to the bottom, touching the hip bone. In shape, it resembles a fan in the open state.
The ligament is so arranged that in its absence the hip would simply bend inward, which would create certain difficulties when moving. It is the ileo-femoral ligament that protects the joint from turning.
Pubic-femoral ligament
Thin fibers collected in a bundle form ligaments, due to which the hip joint performs its function. Human anatomy is not only strong, but also weak ligaments. The pubic part of the pelvic bone is the beginning of the ligament. Then it goes down to the femur, where the trochanter is located, and right to the vertical axis. In terms of size, it is the smallest and weakest of all the ligaments of the hip joint.
The main task of the ligament is to provide inhibition of the abduction of the femur during human movement.
Sciatic-femoral ligament
The location of the sciatic-femoral ligament is the posterior side of the joint. Its source is on the front surface of the ischial pelvic bone. The fibers not only encircle the neck of the thigh, but some of them pass through the joint bag. The rest of the fibers are attached to the femur near the greater trochanter. The main task is to slow the movement of the thigh inward.
Femoral head ligament
This ligament does not account for most of the load, since in this place the special structure of the hip joint. Ligament anatomy includes blood vessels that extend from the femoral head and nerve endings located between the fibers. In structure, the ligament is similar to loose tissue covered with a synovial membrane. It is located in the joint cavity and begins with the depth of the acetabulum of the pelvic bone, and ends in a recess on the femoral head.
The ligament does not differ in strength, and therefore can easily be stretched. In this connection, it is easy to damage it. Despite this, a strong connection of bones and muscles during movement is ensured. At the same time, a cavity is formed inside the joint, which this ligament fills with itself along with synovial fluid. A so-called gasket is created, due to which strength is increased. Do not be this bunch, do not avoid strong rotation of the thigh out.
Muscle
Without ligaments, it would not be possible to reliably connect the bones to each other. However, besides them, the muscles of the hip joint play an important role. The anatomy of the fibers is characterized by a rather massive structure, which ensures the proper functioning of the joint. When a person makes a movement, whether running or walking, muscle fibers act as shock absorbers. That is, they are able to reduce the load on the bones during running, jumping, as well as in case of unsuccessful fall.
Due to the fact that the muscles contract and relax, we make different movements. A certain group of muscle fibers has a large length and can begin with the region of the spine. Thanks to these muscles, not only movements in the joint are provided, we can tilt our body. The muscles in front of the thigh are responsible for its flexion, and the posterior group for extension. The medial group is responsible for the removal and drive of the thigh.
Articular bags
In addition to ligaments, hip bags are important. Their anatomy is a cavity that is lined with connective tissue and filled with synovial fluid. Like muscles, a bag can also work as a shock absorber by preventing friction between layers of tissue. This reduces wear. There are several types of bags:
- iliac scallop;
- skewer;
- sciatic.
With inflammation or wear of one of them, a disease called bursitis occurs. This pathology is quite common and affects a person at any age. Often, bursitis is diagnosed in women, especially after 40 years. In men, the disease is less common.
The main muscles are the femoral and gluteal muscles, which need to be constantly developed. A moderate load on this muscle system will allow it to be strengthened, which will minimize the frequency of injury.
Joint development in newborns
Due to the features that distinguish the anatomy of the human hip joint, muscles and joints begin to form even at the stage of pregnancy. At the same time, in the sixth week, connective tissues begin to form. Starting from the second month, you can notice the first rudiments of the joint, which the embryo is trying to move. Around this time, bone nuclei begin to form. And it is precisely this period, as well as the first year of life, that are important for the child, since the formation of the skeletal structure occurs.
In some cases, the hip joint does not have time to form properly, especially when the baby is born prematurely. Often this is due to the presence of various pathologies in the mother's body and a lack of useful minerals.
In addition, the bone apparatus of young children is still quite soft and fragile. The pelvic bones that form the acetabulum have not yet completely ossified and have only a cartilaginous layer. The same can be said about the femoral head. She and parts of the neck still have small bone nuclei, and therefore cartilaginous tissue is also present here.
In newborns, the anatomy of the femur and hip joint is extremely unstable. The entire process of formation of joint bones proceeds slowly and ends by the age of 20. If the baby was born prematurely, then the nuclei will be very small or they will not exist at all, which is a pathological deviation. But it can be observed in completely healthy newborns. The musculoskeletal system in this case is poorly developed. And if during the first year of a child’s life the nuclei do not develop, then there is a risk that the hip joint will not be able to fully function.