As an orthopaedic surgeon with Syracuse Orthopaedic Specialists, Dr. Michael Clarke focuses on adult hip reconstruction in Syracuse, New York, and the Central New York region. Dr. Michael Clarke has intensively studied the anatomy and physiology of the hip, as well as the surgical techniques available for its repair.

1. Anatomy of the Hip Joint
By Michael Clarke, Syracuse

2. Introduction
• As an orthopaedic surgeon with Syracuse Orthopaedic
Specialists, Dr. Michael Clarke focuses on adult hip
reconstruction in Syracuse, New York, and the Central
New York region. Dr. Michael Clarke has intensively
studied the anatomy and physiology of the hip, as well as
the surgical techniques available for its repair.
One of the body’s most flexible joints as well as one of its
strongest, the hip joint is located where the hip bone
meets the femur. It functions as a ball-and-socket joint,
the ball being the femoral head at the top of the leg. This
structure rests within the acetabulum, a round structure
located at the edge of the pelvic bone.

3. Hip Joint
• A strong layer of fibrocartilage, known as the labrum,
surrounds the acetabulum and provides further
structural support.
Both the acetabulum and the labrum have a smooth
coating of articular cartilage, which allows the bones to
slide safely across one another. A series of ligaments
keeps the bones connected and guards against
dislocation, as do the tough muscles in the area. Working
together, these structures enable the femur to rotate in a
360-degree circle inside the acetabulum and to rotate on
its axis to an angle of greater than 90 degrees. The
strength of the hip joint also allows it to support many
times the body’s weight on impact.