What is the pelvis?
Pelvis is the medical term for the bony pelvis. It consists of the sacrum and the two hip bones, which are firmly connected and together form the so-called pelvic ring or pelvic girdle. Downward, the pelvis is closed off by the pelvic floor, a muscular connective tissue plate. The pelvic organs are located in the space between these structures. The pelvic girdle is firmly attached to the spine and carries the main load of the body: the trunk, the head and the upper limbs.
The lesser pelvis, the area lying below the pelvic entrance line, is bounded anteriorly and inferiorly by the symphysis pubis and the pubic branches, superiorly and posteriorly by the sacrum (Os sacrum, a part of the spine) and the coccygeal vertebrae (Os coccygis), and laterally by the ischium (Os ischii) and the ischial branches. In women, the pelvis contains the rectum, urinary bladder, ovaries, uterus and vagina. In men, the pelvis contains the rectum and the urinary bladder as well as the prostate.
What is the function of the pelvis?
The pelvis protects our abdominal viscera in the upper area, the large pelvis, and the pelvic viscera in the lower area, the small pelvis. The lower area begins at the top with the pelvic inlet and ends at the bottom with the pelvic outlet. This area is important for obstetrics because it allows for an assessment of childbearing ability. The female pelvis has significantly different dimensions than the male pelvis, because during birth the fetal body must be able to pass through the pelvic outlet. While the male pelvis is high, narrow and tight, the female pelvis is low, wide and broad, thus altogether more spacious.
Where is the pelvis located?
The pelvis connects the trunk to the thighs. It is connected to the spine via the sacrum and coccyx, and to the hip joint and thus to the thighs via the ilium.
What problems can the pelvis cause?
In cancer, metastases can settle in the skeleton, and especially in skeletal sections with good blood supply. This also includes the pelvis.
Malformations of the pelvis can, for example, complicate childbirth in women.
In accidents, one can fracture the lumbar spine and the pelvis. Older people with osteoporosis often contract a pelvic fracture from a simple fall.
