Hip Ligament Anatomy

By Dalton Harris, CPT

The hip contains some of the strongest ligaments in the body, due to the load the structure has to support when performing many different movements.  Some of the ligaments include iliofemoral, ischiofemoral, and pubofemoral ligaments.  These ligaments help protect the hip from doing excess range of motion movements that could cause injury.  All of these ligaments are relaxed when hip is flexed. 

The iliofemoral ligament is the strongest in the body, and prevents hyperextension of the hip.

The ischiofemoral ligament is the weakest of the three, and is used to prevent excess extension of the hip.

The pubofemoral ligament is more concerned with protecting the body in the frontal plane protecting against excess abduction.

The hip also has a labrum just like the shoulder joint, and this is the site where most osteoarthritis occurs.  The labrum is a joint capsule similar to the meniscus in the knee that helps reduce bone on bone friction.  The Labrum also helps contribute to the stability of the overall hip joint.