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 would not be able to fully exist on earth. Any system deserves responsible attention, including the musculoskeletal system. This is a kind of framework on which almost all organs are held, and therefore the anatomy of the hip joint should be known to each of us.
What is the hip joint?
Movement is life, and hardly anyone is going to dispute this statement. Rather, anyone would agree with him. It is due to the presence of the hip joint that the upper body is connected to the lower limbs. At the same time, the joint is characterized by great mobility 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 load when wegoing for a run, just taking a leisurely walk, or rushing to work. And so throughout life. You can guess that if any pathology of the rolling stock occurs, this can lead to various consequences: from mild to the most severe. Not everyone will be happy with the prospect of being bedridden for a long time.
Structure of the joint
The anatomy of the hip joint is formed by the junction of the pelvic and femur, and in shape it resembles a bowl. More precisely, it is a connection of the acetabulum of the pelvic bone with the head of the femur with the help of ligaments and cartilage, of which there are a lot. Moreover, the head of the femur is more than half immersed in this cavity.
The cavity itself, as well as most of the joint, is covered with hyaline cartilage. And those places where the muscles are connected with the joint are covered with fiber based on loose tissue. Inside the pelvic cavity there is connective tissue surrounded by synovial fluid.
This bone skeleton has a unique structure. Since, having the ability to withstand heavy loads, it has good strength. However, it does have some vulnerabilities. From the inside, the acetabulum is lined with connective tissue, through which blood vessels and nerve endings pass.
Functional purpose and motor task
The anatomy of the hip joint provides the main motor function for a person - walking, running and so on. Freedom of movement is observed in any plane ordirection. In addition, the bone frame keeps the whole body in the right position, forming the correct posture.
The joint provides flexion and extension of a person. Moreover, bending is practically unlimited, with the exception of the abdominal muscles, and the angle can be up to 122 degrees. But you can only straighten up to an angle of 13 degrees. In this case, the iliac-femoral ligament, stretching, begins to slow down the movement. The lower back is already involved in the further movement back.
The joint also provides external and internal rotation of the thigh due to movement about the vertical axis. Normal 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 the 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 change in the gait of people.
Thus, we can highlight the main functions of the hip joint:
- main pelvic support;
- ensuring bone connection;
- ability to bend and unbend limbs;
- abduction, adduction of legs;
- movement of limbs in and out;
- opportunitycircular hip rotation.
Based on even this, one can understand how important this joint is for our body.
Bundles
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:
- iliofemoral (lig. iliofemorale);
- pubic-femoral ligament (lig. pubofemorale);
- ischio-femoral (lig. ischiofemorale);
- femoral head ligament (lig. capitis femoris).
All this is formed into a single system, which allows you to make different movements.
Iliofemoral ligament
In the whole body, it is the strongest, as it takes on the entire load. Its thickness is not more than 0.8-10 mm. The ligament originates at the top of the joint and continues to the bottom, touching the thigh bone. It is shaped like an open fan.
The ligament is arranged in such a way that in its absence the thigh would simply bend inward, which would create certain difficulties during movement. It is the iliofemoral ligament that prevents the joint from turning.
Pubocofemoral ligament
Thin fibers, collected in a bundle, form ligaments, thanks to which the hip joint performs its function. Human anatomy is distinguished not only by strong, but also by weak ligaments. The pubic part of the pelvic bone is the beginning of the ligament. Then it goes down to the femur, where the lesser trochanter is located, andright up to the vertical axis. In terms of size, it is the smallest and weakest of all hip ligaments.
The main task of the ligament is to ensure inhibition of the abduction of the femur during human movement.
Iciofemoral ligament
The location of the ischiofemoral ligament is the back side of the joint. Its source falls on the anterior surface of the ischium of the pelvic bone. The fibers not only wrap around the femoral neck, but also some of them pass through the articular bag. The rest of the fibers are attached to the femur near the greater trochanter. The main task is to slow down the movement of the hip inward.
Ligament of the femoral head
This ligament does not account for most of the load, since there is a special structure of the hip joint in this place. The anatomy of the ligament includes blood vessels leading from the femoral head and nerve endings located between the fibers. In structure, the ligament is similar to a loose tissue covered with a synovial membrane. It is located in the joint cavity and starts from the depth of the acetabulum of the pelvic bone, and ends in a depression on the femoral head.
The strength of the ligament does not differ, and therefore can easily stretch. As a result, it is easy to damage it. Despite this, a strong connection of bones and muscles is ensured during movement. In this case, a cavity is formed inside the joint, which this ligament fills with itself along with the synovial fluid. A so-called gasket is created, due to which andstrength increases. Without this ligament, strong outward rotation of the hip cannot be avoided.
Muscles
Without ligaments, it would be impossible to securely connect the bones to each other. However, in addition to them, the muscles of the hip joint also play an important role. The anatomy of the fibers is characterized by a rather massive structure, which ensures the correct functioning of the joint. During a person's movement, whether it's running or walking, muscle fibers act as shock absorbers. That is, they are able to reduce the load on the bones during running, jumping, and also in case of an unsuccessful fall.
Due to the fact that the muscles contract and relax, we make different movements. Some group of muscle fibers has a large extent and may begin from 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 back group is responsible for extension. The medial group is responsible for the abduction and adduction of the hip.
Articular bags
In addition to the ligaments, bags of the hip joint are also important. Their anatomy is a cavity that is lined with connective tissue and filled with synovial fluid. Like muscles, the bag can also act as a shock absorber by preventing friction between layers of tissue. This reduces wear. There are several types of bags:
- iliac-scallop;
- trochanteric;
- ischial.
When one of them becomes inflamed or worn out, a disease occurs undercalled bursitis. 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 hips and buttocks, which need to be constantly developed. A moderate load on this muscular apparatus will allow it to be properly strengthened, which will minimize the incidence of injuries.
Development of the joint in newborns
Due to the peculiarities 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, connective tissues begin to form in the sixth week. Starting from the second month, you can see the first rudiments of the articulation with which the embryo tries to move. Around this time, bone nuclei begin to form. And it is this period, as well as the first year of life, that are important for the child, as the skeletal structure is being formed.
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.
Besides, the bones of young children are still quite soft and fragile. The pelvic bones, which form the acetabulum, are not yet completely ossified and have only a cartilaginous layer. The same can be said about the head of the bonehips. She and part of the neck still have small bone nuclei, and therefore cartilage tissue is also present here.
In newborns, the anatomy of the femur and hip joint is extremely unstable. The whole process of formation of the bones of the joint 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 be at all, which is a pathological deviation. But it can also be observed in perfectly he althy newborns. The musculoskeletal system in this case is poorly developed. And if the nuclei do not develop during the first year of a child's life, then there is a risk that the hip joint will not be able to fully function.
