The hip is the most flexible joint in your body. Your hip is a true ball-and-socket joint that utilizes a number of structures, including muscles and tendons, to help you walk, climb, bend and stand erect. Muscles expand and contract, while your tendons attach the muscles to your bones. The hip relies on muscles and tendons to facilitate movement and help stabilize your body.
Gluteals
The gluteal region is made up of 10 different muscles: gluteus maximus; gluteus medius; gluteus minimus; tensor fascia latae; piriformis; obturator internus; gemellus superior; gemellus inferior; quadratus femoris; and obturator externus. Your gluteus maximus, one of the largest muscles in your body, runs across the back of your hip and buttocks. It is one of the muscles that allows you to stand erect. The remaining muscles help flex, bend and rotate your trunk and legs.
Adductor Muscles
The adductor muscles make up the inside of the thighs and include the adductor brevis, adductor longus and adductor magnus. These muscles run from the inside of the thigh to the pubis and ischium. They are responsible for adduction, which brings the legs toward one another when the hips are straight; transverse adduction, which brings the legs together when the hips are bent; flexion, which moves the thighs up toward the body; extension, which moves the thighs away from the body; and external rotation, which turns the thigh or pelvis outward.
Iliopsoas and Rectus Femoris Muscles
The iliopsoas muscle begins in the low back and pelvis, and connects on the inside edge of your upper thigh bone. This deep muscle assists the rectus femoris in enabling you to flex your hip. The rectus femoris is part of a group of muscles called the quadriceps, the largest group of muscles on the front of the thigh. It runs all the way down to attach at your knee. These muscles allow you to walk and kick.
Hamstrings
Starting at the base of the pelvis, the hamstring muscles run down the backs of your thighs, and cross over the backs of the hip joints on their way to your knees. Your hamstrings are actually made up of three muscles: the biceps femoris, the semitendinosus, and the semimembranosus. The hamstring muscle group helps extend the hips, pulling the legs backward.
Iliotibial Band
The iliotibial band is a long tendon band that runs from the outside of the hip to the knee. It is the connecting point for several hip muscles. This tendon can get tight and cause problems in both the hip and the knee. A tight iliotibial band is considered an overuse injury, and can be difficult to treat.
