The Pelvic Girdle

THE PELVIC GIRDLE

The pelvic girdle is also referred to as the hip girdle. It is formed by a single fused bone called

the hip bone. This is the attachment point for each of the two lower limbs. The hip bone is

connected to the axial skeleton by an attachment to the sacrum at the sacroiliac joint. The

pelvic girdle is largely immobile and is built for weightbearing.

The three parts or segments to the pelvic bone are the ilium, the ischium, and the pubis. The

ilium is the largest part. It is fan-shaped and connects the immobile sacroiliac joint. The

superior iliac crest is the upper margin of the ilium called the iliac crest. Figure 46 shows the

pelvic bone and its connections:

The ischium forms the posterior and lateral part of the hip bone. There is a tuberosity on the

inferior portion, called the ischial tuberosity, which attaches the posterior thigh muscles and

carries the weight of the body when a person is sitting. The pubis is the anterior part of the hip

bone. It is connected in the middle to the other pubis by the pubic symphysis. There is a

circular portion or hole in the pelvis made from the ischium and pubis, which form out of the