Gluteal Region, Hip & Thigh Flashcards
What are the regions of the lower limb?
- Gluteal (from hip to thigh joint)
- Thigh (from thigh to knee joint)
- Leg (from knee to ankle joint)
- Foot
What is the function of the lower limbs?
STRENGTH + STABILITY in preference to range of movement to:
- Support body weight
- Maintain upright posture
- Locomotion (gait)
- Accommodate shock loading
What are the 4 basic phases of walking?
Stance:
- Heel strike
- Support
Swing:
- Toe-off
- Swing/carry through
What is the very last thing to leave the floor when you are about to enter the swing phase? Why is this relevant?
The big toe so this is critical for walking and uses a huge muscle to propel the body forward when coming off the ground
What is the pelvic girdle?
A basin shaped rigid ring of bone that is partly formed by the axial skeleton (sacrum) to distribute weight of the axial body to the lower limbs and enables locomotion and standing
What makes up the hip joint?
Synovial deep ball and socket joint made up of the femoral head (ball) connected to the acetabulum (socket)
What would a posterior hip joint dislocation look like?
Limb would be shortened, flexed, adducted (pulled into midline) and internally rotated - more COMMON type of hip joint dislocation
What would an anterior hip joint dislocation look like?
Limb is abducted (away from midline) and externally rotated
What makes up the bony pelvis?
Sacrum and 2 hip bones connected via secondary cartilaginous joints: sacroiliac posteriorly and the pubic symphysis anteriorly
What is the function of the sacroiliac joints?
Transmit weight of body to the hip bones
What can happen if you injure your sacroiliac joint?
Pain that radiates up the back, into bum and perineal region - common in taller people
How can you injure the pelvic girdle?
High force trauma esp. when sitting down when the hip ligaments are the loosest (posterior dislocation is the most common outcome)
What are sciatic foramen?
Holes formed by borders of the sacrospinous and sacrotuberous ligaments so nerves, vessels and some tendons can pass through, there are 2 types:
- Greater: connects pelvic cavity and gluteal region (divided in half by piriformis)
- Lesser: connects to perineal and gluteal regions
What are the 3 hip bones?
- Ilium
- Ischium
- Pubis
Come together to form the acetabulum (not fused till young adulthood)
What muscles attach to the greater trochanter bony prominence of the femur? What is their role?
Gluteus medius and minimus - stabilise pelvis on lower limb during walking
What muscle attaches to the lesser trochanter bony prominence of the femur? What is its role?
Illiopsoas - powerful hip flexor
What inserts into the linea aspera?
Many powerful thigh muscles and the 3 intermuscular septa
What is the condyle of the femur?
J-shaped articular regions for the knee
What bony prominence of the femur is palpable?
Adductor tubercle
If a bony prominence of a bone is bigger, what does this generally mean?
It takes more stress and force through muscle attachments so more remodelling occurs here (Wolff’s law)
What is the weakest area of the femur?
The neck
What is the bit of the femur that breaks most commonly when osteoporotic/osteopenic elderly patients fall?
The neck
What is the acetabular labrum?
Horseshoe shaped fibrocartilage rim of tissue that surrounds the acetabulum by attaching to its bony margin making the hip joint deeper and more stable - can get impinged within joint causing pain on movement
What are the 2 membranes that cover the hip joint?
- Synovial membrane: covers the joint
2. Fibrous membrane: covers the synovial membrane
What are the 3 ligaments that cover the hip joints and its membranes?
- Illiofemoral
- Pubofemoral
- Ischiofemoral
How do the hip ligaments function?
They wrap tightly around the hip joint upon standing to reinforce and stabilize the joint whereas upon sitting they become looser allowing deep hip flexion
What is the blood supply to the hip?
It is unidirectional and circumflex arteries flowing from the base of the femoral neck, surround it, pass through the retinacular fibres of the joint capsule to the femoral head = medical emergency