Patient/caregiver was instructed upon supports to the hip joint as follows:
- The hip joint is a ball and socket joint, in which the ball of the joint is formed by the round head of femur. The socket is a hollow on the side of the pelvis called acetabulum. The head of femur sitting inside the hollow acetabulum adds stability to the hip joint.
- Various connective tissue bands, such as, ligaments and tendons, add more stability and reinforce the hip joint in the body.
- Ligament is a tissue structure connecting two bones. Tendon is a tissue structure connecting a muscle to a bone. A special type of ligament, labrum, attaches along the edge of acetabular socket, which increases the depth of the socket. This helps with the head of femur sitting in the acetabulum more firmly, thus increasing the stability of the joint.
- The hip joint is enclosed in or surrounded by a joint capsule, which is known as a synovium. This joint capsule is a watertight sac surrounding the hip joint, formed by the strong ligaments of the hip joint.
- The strong ligaments of the hip joint help to hold the head of femur in the acetabulum tightly and contribute to the stability of the hip joint significantly.
- Also, the hip joint is surrounded by large, thick muscles on all sides, such as, gluteal muscles, hamstrings, and rectus femoris. These big muscles upon contraction and relaxation contribute to the activity and respective movements of the hip joint. These big muscles along with their tendons attach firmly around the hip joint, thus furthering the stability of the joint.
