The Anatomy of the Hip Joint

The hip is a synovial joint of the ball-and-socket variety formed by the globular femoral head cupped into the acetabular or cotyloid cavity of the hip bone. It plays a major role in the static and dynamic physiology of the locomotor system and, although it is the most stable ball-and-socket joint in the body, it still maintains an extraordinary range of motion. Descriptively the hip joint is commonly discussed in the extended position. However, a clear mental picture of the anatomical changes which occur during the full range of joint motion forms an essential adjunct to an accurate evaluation of the functional and pathological problems encountered.

Keywords

• Femoral Neck

• Femoral Head

• Articular Cartilage

• Great Trochanter

• Femoral Shaft

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.