Pelvis
Also called: pelvic bone, hip bone
What it means
The pelvis is the large, bowl-shaped bone structure that connects your spine to your legs and supports your body weight.
Since the pelvis bears so much of your body's weight, keeping it strong matters for staying mobile and avoiding serious fractures as you age.
The pelvis is the large, ring-shaped set of bones that connects your spine to your legs. It includes the ilium (the wide wing you feel when you put your hands on your hips), plus other sections that form the hip sockets. It supports your body weight when you stand or walk and protects organs inside it.
Because the pelvis is a major weight-bearing bone, its strength can be influenced by how much regular load it experiences, along with hormones, diet, and genetics. Bones that bear more weight, like the spine, pelvis, and femur, are generally more sensitive to changes in activity level than bones like the skull.
A pelvic fracture is a serious injury, often linked to a hard fall, especially in someone with lower bone density. Because the pelvis supports so much of the body and sits near major blood vessels, these fractures can mean a longer recovery and more careful rehab. Staying active with regular weight-bearing movement and working to reduce fall risk are generally considered sensible habits for bone health, but any treatment decisions after a fracture or for osteoporosis should be made with your doctor.
How sure is this?
Graded Established Science: Supported by broad scientific consensus and decades of research. Read each study with its grade in mind. One study is a piece of the picture, not the whole of it.
Because the pelvis carries so much body weight, keeping it strong helps you stay mobile.
Where this leads
WordWondering what keeps a weight-bearing bone like the pelvis strong over time? Wolff's Law explains how bones adapt to the loads you keep putting on them.
Where the Academy teaches it
This page is the short version. The lessons teach it in full, with the context around it and a quiz to lock it in.
Related words
The femur, or thigh bone, is the longest and strongest bone in the body, stretching from the hip to the knee and…
A hip fracture is a break at the femoral neck, the narrow part of bone connecting the hip joint ball to the thigh…
A pelvic fracture is a break in the ring of bones connecting the spine to the legs, often caused by a fall in older…
Weight-bearing exercise is any activity, like walking or dancing, where your body supports its own weight against…
Wolff's Law says your bones adapt to the loads you put on them, getting stronger with use and losing density when…
Astronaut bone loss is the fast, uneven loss of bone density that happens in microgravity, mainly in weight-bearing…
Education only, not medical advice. Decisions about tests, medications and treatment belong with your own doctor. OsteoStrong does not diagnose, treat or cure any disease.
