A woman's hips are located on the sides of her legs, just below her waistband. You can feel the bony prominence on either side.
Locating the Hips: A Practical Guide
To locate a woman's hips, follow these steps:
- Find the waistband: Identify the waistband of her pants or skirt.
- Move slightly downwards: Move your hands a short distance below the waistband.
- Palpate the bony structure: You'll feel a prominent bony area on each side. These are the hips.
The hip joint itself is where the thigh bone (femur) meets the pelvis. The bony prominence felt externally is part of the thigh bone, specifically the greater trochanter (as noted in the Goodwin Living article: http://goodwinliving.org/blog/anatomy-lesson-the-hips-and-glutes/). This area is often wider in women than men.
While the external hip is easily located, understanding the anatomy of the hip joint provides a more complete picture. The hip joint is a ball-and-socket joint, where the head of the femur fits into the acetabulum (socket) of the pelvis (https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/24675-hip-joint). This structure allows for a wide range of motion. Note that hip dysplasia, a condition where the acetabulum isn't properly formed, affects women more frequently (https://www.pennmedicine.org/for-patients-and-visitors/patient-information/conditions-treated-a-to-z/hip-dysplasia).
Various videos further illustrate hip location, such as the YouTube video "Where is the waist? Where are the hips?": (Reference video image included in prompt but no direct link provided). Another video, "How to measure your hips" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoFxXdrDRfc), demonstrates practical ways to locate the hips for measurement purposes. Note that Dr. Jeff Barry's anatomical explanation of the hip joint provides a more in-depth understanding of the structure itself (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLCrCSQbTmI).
