Sacrotuberous ligament

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Ligament: Sacrotuberous ligament
Articulations of pelvis, anterior view, with greater sciatic foramen (labeled in red) and its boundaries.
Articulations of pelvis. Posterior view.
Latin	ligamentum sacrotuberale
Gray's	subject #80 309
From	sacrum
To	tuberosity of the ischium

The sacrotuberous ligament (great or posterior sacrosciatic ligament) is situated at the lower and back part of the pelvis. It is flat, and triangular in form; narrower in the middle than at the ends.

It runs from the sacrum (the lower transverse sacral tubercles, the inferior margins sacrum and the upper coccyx^[1]) to the tuberosity of the ischium.

The membranous falciform process of the sacrotuberous ligament was found to be absent in 13% of cadavers. When present it extends towards the ischioanal fossa travelling along the ischial ramus and fusing with the obturator fascia.

The sacrotuberous ligament contains the coccygeal branch of the inferior gluteal artery.

The lower border of the ligament was found to be directly continuous with the tendon of origin of the long head of the Biceps femoris in approximately 50% of subjects^[2]. Biceps femoris could therefore act to stabilise the sacroiliac joint via the sacrotuberous ligament.

[edit] Additional images

Articulations of pelvis. Anterior view.

The superficial branches of the internal pudendal artery.

The posterior aspect of the rectum exposed by removing the lower part of the sacrum and the coccyx.

Nélaton’s line and Bryant’s triangle.

[edit] External links

• SUNY Figs 13:03-04 - "Deep muscles of the gluteal region with gluteus medius and maximus muscles removed."
• SUNY Figs 17:02-05 - "Posterior view of the bones and ligaments of the hip joint."
• SUNY Labs 41:os-0114 - "The Female Perineum"
• SUNY Labs 42:12-0102 - "The Male Perineum and the Penis: Boundaries of the Ischioanal fossa"
• SUNY Anatomy Image 9075
• Anatomy at Dartmouth hip/hip%20ligaments/ligaments7

[edit] References

1. ^ Marios Loukas,Robert G Louis Jr, Barry Hallner, Ankmalika A Gupta and Dorothy White. (2006) "Anatomical and surgical considerations of the sacrotuberous ligament and its relevance in pudendal nerve entrapment syndrome" Surg Radiol Anat 28(2): 163-169
2. ^ Vleeming, A., R. Stoeckart, et al. (1989). "The sacrotuberous ligament: a conceptual approach to its dynamic role in stabilizing the sacroiliac joint." Clinical Biomechanics 4(4): 200-203.

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.

v • d • e Joints and ligaments of torso Vertebral column articulations of vertebral bodies: anterior longitudinal ligament - posterior longitudinal ligament - intervertebral disc (annulus fibrosus, nucleus pulposus) articulations of vertebral arches : ligamenta flava - supraspinous ligament (nuchal ligament) - interspinal ligament - intertransverse ligament zygapophysial joint Costovertebral articulation of head of rib: radiate ligament - interarticular ligament costotransverse Sternocostal interarticular sternocostal ligament - radiate sternocostal ligaments - costoxiphoid ligaments interchondral, costochondral Pelvis articulation of the vertebral column with the pelvis: iliolumbar ligament sacroiliac: anterior sacroiliac ligament - posterior sacroiliac ligament - interosseous sacroiliac ligament ligaments connecting the sacrum and ischium: sacrotuberous ligament - sacrospinous ligament sacrococcygeal symphysis: anterior sacrococcygeal ligament - posterior sacrococcygeal ligament pubic symphysis: superior pubic ligament - inferior pubic ligament