Ligament · Hips

Ischiofemoral ligament

Ligamentum ischiofemorale

The ligament reinforcing the back of the hip capsule, arising from the ischial part of the rim of the socket and spiralling upward and outward to blend with the capsule near the base of the greater trochanter. It is the thinnest and weakest of the hip's three capsular ligaments, and the only one at the back — the front of the joint has two. Because its fibres wind around the neck of the femur, they tighten as the thigh turns inward, and they are wound tightest when the hip is straight.