Standing, sitting, lying supine or prone
If you wish to palpate on the skin, provide a private room. If you think this is necessary, the patient is asked if he/she is willing to lower his/her pants to the level of the iliac crests, if needed, for direct palpation on the skin or for intervention. While the skin can not be viewed with clothes covering the area, the pelvis can be palpated to assess motion or pain response over clothing.
Anterior, posterior, or lateral to the patient.
May I touch your hip bones? (or point to the area). Please turn in the directions guided by my hands.
The pelvis is composed of a ring formed by two hip bones (innominate bones or os coxae) and the sacral articulation with the ilium. The hip bones are composed of the ilium, ischium and pubis. The innominate bones meet anteriorly at the pubic symphysis.
With the patient relaxed and after asking permission to touch, gently place your hands on the right and left iliac crests and ala or wings of the ilium. Either demonstrate or guide the patient to do the following motions while noting the motion of the pelvis.
With the patient relaxed and after asking permission to touch, gently place your hands on the right and left iliac crests and ala or wings of the ilium. Either demonstrate or guide the patient to do the following motions while noting the motion of the pelvis.
- tilt the pelvis forward in anterior pelvic tilt
- tilt the pelvis backward in posterior pelvic tilt
- let the right side of the pelvis drop and tilt the superior aspect of the pelvis to the right in pelvic tilt to the right
- let the left side of the pelvis drop and tilt the superior aspect of the pelvis to the left in pelvic tilt to the left
- turn the pelvis to the left as the anterior pelvis faces left in pelvic rotation to the left
- turn the pelvis to the right as the anterior pelvis faces right in pelvic rotation to the right
VH ñ Pelvis