Hip Joint Research Paper

The hip is the body's second largest weight bearing joint after the knee. The hip joint is a ball and socket synovial joint at the juncture of the leg and pelvis. From Figure \ref{hip} it can be seen that the rounded head of the femur forms the ball and the acetabulum forms the socket. In this the femur head fits into the acetabulum in the pelvis. The hip joint forms a connection between the the axial skeleton and the lower extremity of the body. In a healthy adult os coxae or hip bone is comprised of the ilium, the ischium and the pubis. The pelvis is made up of the two hip bones along with the sacrum and the coccyx. The three are united anteriorly by the pubic symphysis. The stability of the hip joint is important as it is the second largest