Chapter 8, Problem 4CCS

In the previous chapter, you met Kayla Tanner, a 45-year-old mother of four who suffered a dislocated right hip in the bus accident on Route 91. Prior to the Kayla Tanner, a 45-year-old mother of four, suffered a dislocated right hip in a bus accident on Route 91. Prior to performing a closed reduction, the doctors noted that her right thigh was flexed at the hip, adducted, and medially rotated. After the reduction, the hip was put through a gentle range of motion (ROM) to assess the joint. A widened joint space in the postreductionX ray showed that the reduction was not complete, but no bone fragments were visible in the joint space. Mrs. Tanner was scheduled for immediate surgery.

The surgeons discovered that the acetabular labrum was detached from the rim of the acetabulum and was lying deep within the joint space. The detached portion of the labrum was excised, and the hip was surgically reduced. During the early healing phase (first two weeks), Mrs. Tanner was kept in traction with the hip abducted.

Surgeons had to remove a portion of Mrs. Tanner’s acetabular labrum. What is this structure and what function does it supply at this joint?