Espiral AtlasIliac crest
crista iliaca
Study entry
Description
The upper margin of the ala of the ilium, thick and curved, from the anterior superior to the posterior superior spine.
Relations
It protects like a bumper and attaches the aponeuroses of the wide muscles of the abdominal wall and the deep fascia.
Palpation
Hands placed on the waist rest on it; the anterior third is subcutaneous and easy to feel; the posterior two thirds lie under fat.
Source: cap. 7, «Huesos del miembro inferior: hueso coxal» y «Anatomía de superficie»
Clinical correlation
Contusions of the hip and thigh
In sport, «hip pointer» is a contusion of the iliac crest, usually in the anterior part, near the attachment of the sartorius to the anterior superior iliac spine. It is one of the most common hip injuries in contact sports (rugby, hockey, volleyball). Capillaries rupture and blood infiltrates muscles, tendons and soft tissues. The same name is sometimes used for avulsions of the sartorius, rectus femoris or hamstrings, which are in fact avulsion fractures. In the thigh, a strong contusion can tear vessels and form a hematoma; the most common site is the quadriceps, usually from a tear of fibers of the rectus femoris, sometimes with partial injury of the quadriceps tendon.
Related clinical cases
- Contusions of the hip and thigh