The hip bone

What it does

Each hip bone is three bones, the ilium, ischium and pubis, that fuse during your teenage years. Together with the sacrum they make the pelvis, a bowl that carries the upper body, protects the bladder and bowel, and holds the deep socket for the head of the femur.

Why it matters

The pelvis is often used to estimate sex in skeletons because a typical female pelvis is wider and rounder, an adaptation for childbirth. The hip socket's depth is why hips dislocate far less often than shoulders.

Nearby

• The sacrum
• The thigh bone
• The buttock muscle
• The hip capsule
• The pubic symphysis

Read more

• Hip bone — Wikipedia