(A) Weight transfer from the vertebral column to the pelvic girdle is a function of the sacro-iliac ligaments. Weight transfer at the hip joint is accomplished primarily by the disposition of the bones, with the ligaments limiting the range of movement and adding stability.
(B) Articulating surfaces of hip joint and sites of attachment and tendinous relationships of iliofemoral ligaments and joint capsule.
(C) Iliofemoral ligament.
(D) The ischiofemoral ligament. Because the joint capsule does not attach to the posterior aspect of the femur, the synovial membrane protrudes from the joint capsule, forming the obturator externus bursa to facilitate movement of the tendon of the obturator externus (show in part C) over the bone.
Reproduced with permission from: Lower limb. In: Clinically Oriented Anatomy, 7th ed, Moore KL, Agur AM, Dalley AF (Eds), Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia 2013. Copyright © 2013 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
www.lww.com.