During running and jumping, for example, the force of the body’s movements multiplies the force on the hip joint to many times the force exerted by the body’s weight. In addition to being flexible, each hip joint must be capable of supporting half of the body’s weight along with any other forces acting upon the body. Only the shoulder joint provides as high of a level of mobility as the hip joint. The femur may also rotate around its axis about 90 degrees at the hip joint. The ball-and-socket structure of the joint allows the femur to circumduct freely through a 360-degree circle. The strong muscles of the hip region also help to hold the hip joint together and prevent dislocation.įunctionally, the hip joint enjoys a very high range of motion. Surrounding the hip joint are many tough ligaments that prevent the dislocation of the joint. Between the layers of hyaline cartilage, synovial membranes secrete watery synovial fluid to lubricate the joint capsule. Hyaline cartilage also acts as a flexible shock absorber to prevent the collision of the bones during movement. Hyaline cartilage lines both the acetabulum and the head of the femur, providing a smooth surface for the moving bones to glide past each other. A round, cup-shaped structure on the os coxa, known as the acetabulum, forms the socket for the hip joint. The hip joint is a ball-and-socket synovial joint formed between the os coxa (hip bone) and the femur. Yet the hip joint is also one of our most flexible joints and allows a greater range of motion than all other joints in the body except for the shoulder. It bears our body’s weight and the force of the strong muscles of the hip and leg. The hip joint is one of the most important joints in the human body.

Xsection view of human torso