Joints and ligaments · Lower limb
Pubofemoral ligament !
The pubofemoral ligament is a band at the lower front of the hip capsule; it limits the leg moving too far outward.
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What it is
A ligament on the lower front of the hip capsule, from the pubic bone to the femur.
What it does
Limits the thigh moving too far outward (away from the body) and turning outward.
Key facts
- Attaches
- Obturator crest and superior pubic ramus to lower intertrochanteric line, blending with capsule
- Function
- Limits hip abduction and extension
- Tight in
- Hip abduction and extension
Relations
- In front
- Pectineus and iliopsoas, with the femoral vein and artery further in front
- Lateral
- Medial limb of the iliofemoral ligament
- Below
- Obturator externus, winding below the femoral neck
How to find it
Not palpable. In an anterior or medial approach it is found on the lower front of the capsule, deep to the iliopsoas tendon and the pectineus, running from the superior pubic ramus near the iliopubic eminence to the lower part of the femoral neck.
Examination
- Anterior apprehension test: the hip is extended and externally rotated with the person lying near the table edge; pain or fear of giving way points to anterior capsular laxity or injury, including this ligament
On imaging
MR arthrography of the hip shows the anterior capsule and its thickened bands; the pubofemoral ligament appears as a thin low-signal band on the anteroinferior capsule, best on oblique axial and coronal planes.
Clinical notes
- The anterior capsule, including this ligament, is opened or partly excised in the direct anterior approach for hip replacement
- In anterior dislocation the femoral head may press on the femoral vessels and nerve in front of it
Test yourself
Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.
Which hip movements does the pubofemoral ligament limit?
Hip abduction and extension; it is taut in both.
Where does the pubofemoral ligament attach?
From the obturator crest and superior pubic ramus to the lower intertrochanteric line, blending with the capsule.
What lies in the thin capsular area between the pubofemoral and iliofemoral ligaments?
It lies under the iliopsoas tendon, where the iliopsoas bursa may open into the hip joint.
Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional.
Its names
- Official Latin (TA2)
- ligamentum pubofemorale TA2 1879
- Official Spanish (DeCS)
- Ligamento pubofemoral
- English (TA2)
- Pubofemoral ligament
- Also called
- ligamentum pubocapsulare
Related
Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); Anatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb, Hip Joint; 9.6 Anatomy of Selected Synovial Joints (OpenStax (Rice University), 2022) · adapted, CC BY 4.0; Anatomy of the Human Body (20th ed.): Coxal Articulation or Hip-joint (Lea & Febiger (Gray's Anatomy, 1918), 1918) · adapted, Public domain; Anatomy of the Human Body (20th ed.): Surface Anatomy of the Lower Extremity (Lea & Febiger (Gray's Anatomy, 1918), 1918) · adapted, Public domain.
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Representative model, for educational purposes only.
