Anterior superior iliac spine

Looks like

The front point of the iliac crest, the bony point at the front of the hip below the waist.

What it does

Anchors the sartorius muscle and the inguinal ligament; a key point for measuring leg length and posture.

Keeping it well

In teenage sprinters the muscle can pull a piece of it off (avulsion). The nerve to the outer thigh skin passes just inside it — pressure from tight belts causes a burning thigh.

Related conditions

• Acromegaly
• Bone metastases and spinal cord compression
• Developmental dysplasia of the hip
• Fractures
• Fragility fracture
• Frailty & falls in older age
• Hyperparathyroidism
• Obstructed labour and obstetric fistula
• Osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease)
• Osteomalacia & rickets
• Osteomyelitis (bone infection)
• Osteoporosis
• Paget's disease of bone
• Sarcoma
• Vitamin B1, C and other deficiencies
• Vitamin D deficiency