Human Anatomy
Hip Joint
Hip joint anatomy for MBBS: articular surfaces, ligaments, blood and nerve supply, movements and dislocation, mapped to NMC codes AN17.1 to AN17.3.
MedNext Academy | 3 min read
Hip Joint
Hip joint anatomy for MBBS: articular surfaces, ligaments, blood and nerve supply, movements and dislocation, mapped to NMC codes AN17.1 to AN17.3.
This chapter covers the hip joint, a deeply set ball-and-socket joint built for stability and weight-bearing. It details the ligaments, the crucial blood supply of the femoral head, the nerve supply and the clinical importance of fractures and dislocations.
High-yield: Hip Joint
- The hip is a ball-and-socket synovial joint between the head of the femur and the acetabulum.
- The acetabulum is deepened by the fibrocartilaginous acetabular labrum, which grips the head of the femur.
- The iliofemoral ligament, or Y-shaped ligament of Bigelow, is the strongest ligament in the body and limits extension.
- The pubofemoral and ischiofemoral ligaments complete the capsular support of the joint.
- The head of the femur is supplied mainly by retinacular branches of the medial and lateral circumflex femoral arteries.
- The artery in the ligamentum teres is a small supply that is important in children but insufficient alone in adults.
- The medial circumflex femoral artery provides most of the blood to the femoral head, so intracapsular neck fractures risk avascular necrosis.
- The hip joint is supplied by branches of the femoral, obturator, sciatic and superior gluteal nerves, following Hilton's law.
- Pain from the hip may be referred to the knee through the obturator nerve.
- The stability of the hip comes from the deep socket, the labrum, the strong ligaments and the surrounding muscles.
- Movements at the hip are flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, medial and lateral rotation and circumduction.
- In posterior dislocation the limb is flexed, adducted and medially rotated, and the sciatic nerve may be injured.
- The trochanteric anastomosis around the neck of the femur helps supply the head.
- The transverse acetabular ligament bridges the acetabular notch and completes the ring for the labrum.
Hip joint at a glance
- **Type:** Ball-and-socket synovial joint; head of femur in the acetabulum, deepened by the labrum.
- **Strongest ligament:** Iliofemoral (Y-shaped) ligament; limits extension and helps maintain the erect posture.
- **Blood supply:** Mainly the medial circumflex femoral artery through retinacular vessels; artery of ligamentum teres is minor in adults.
- **Clinical risk:** Intracapsular neck fractures may cause avascular necrosis; posterior dislocation may injure the sciatic nerve.
NMC competencies in this chapter
- **AN17.1:** Type, articular surfaces and ligaments of the hip joint
- **AN17.2:** Blood and nerve supply and movements of the hip joint
- **AN17.3:** Applied anatomy of the hip joint
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the strongest ligament of the hip joint?
The iliofemoral ligament, also called the Y-shaped ligament of Bigelow, is the strongest ligament in the body. It limits extension and helps maintain the upright posture without much muscular effort.
Why can a femoral neck fracture cause avascular necrosis?
The femoral head is supplied mainly by retinacular branches of the medial circumflex femoral artery that run along the neck. An intracapsular fracture can tear these vessels and starve the head of blood.
Why is hip pain sometimes felt in the knee?
The hip and knee joints share innervation from the obturator nerve, so pain arising in the hip may be referred along this nerve and felt in the knee.
What happens in a posterior hip dislocation?
In a posterior dislocation the limb becomes flexed, adducted and medially rotated. The displaced femoral head can injure the nearby sciatic nerve, causing foot drop and sensory loss.
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