Pelvic Girdle

Figure 1: Pelvic Girdle

• It is a circular bony structure around the trunk at the lower end. IT consists of the pelvic spine and hip bones.
• In adults, the paired hip bones are large, curved bones formed from fused 3 bones- ilium, ischium, and pubis. The ilium forms the large, fan-shaped superior portion, the ischium forms the posteroinferior portion, and the pubis forms the anteromedial portion.
• These 3 bones- ilium, ischium, and pubis come together at lateral ends and form a cavity called Acetabulum, which forms the socket joint with the head of the femur, and this join is called as the hip joint. The hip joint is a stable joint with moderate movements.
• The ilium forms the sacroiliac joint with sacrum. The sacroiliac joint is a stable joint with minimum movement. It is supported by many ligaments.
• 2 Pubis bones forms symphysis at the anterior center with minimum movement.
• The main functions of Pelvic and pelvic girdle are:
• Transfer of weight from the upper axial skeleton to the lower appendicular components of the skeleton, especially during movement.
• Provides attachment for a number of muscles and ligaments used in locomotion.
• Contains and protects the abdominopelvic and pelvic viscera.