The gluteal lines are three curved lines outlined from three bony ridges on the exterior surface of the ilium in the

gluteal region The gluteal muscles, often called glutes, are a group of three muscles which make up the gluteal region commonly known as the buttocks: the gluteus maximus muscle, gluteus maximus, gluteus medius muscle, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus muscl ...

. They are the anterior gluteal line; the inferior gluteal line, and the posterior gluteal line. The gluteus minimus, medius, and

maximus Maximus (Hellenised as Maximos) is the Latin term for "greatest" or "largest". In this connection it may refer to: * Circus Maximus (disambiguation) * Pontifex maximus, the highest priest of the College of Pontiffs in ancient Rome People Roman hi ...

are

muscle Muscle is a soft tissue, one of the four basic types of animal tissue. There are three types of muscle tissue in vertebrates: skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, and smooth muscle. Muscle tissue gives skeletal muscles the ability to muscle contra ...

s that arise from the gluteal lines.

Location

Anterior gluteal line

The anterior gluteal line is the middle curved gluteal line on the hip bone. It is the longest of the three gluteal lines, begins at the

iliac crest The crest of the ilium (or iliac crest) is the superior border of the wing of ilium and the superolateral margin of the greater pelvis. Structure The iliac crest stretches posteriorly from the anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) to the posterio ...

, about 4 cm. behind its anterior extremity, and, taking a curved direction downward and backward, ends at the upper part of the greater sciatic notch. The space between the anterior and posterior gluteal lines and the crest is concave, and gives origin to the gluteus medius muscle. Near the middle of this line a nutrient foramen is often seen.

Posterior gluteal line

Posterior gluteal line, also known as the superior curved line, the shortest of the three gluteal lines, begins at the iliac crest, about 5 cm in front of its posterior extremity; it is at first distinctly marked, but as it passes downward to the upper part of the greater sciatic notch, where it ends, it becomes less distinct, and is often altogether lost. Behind this line is a narrow semilunar surface, the upper part of which is rough and gives origin to a portion of the gluteus maximus muscle. The lower part is smooth, and has no muscular fibers attached to it.

Inferior gluteal line

The inferior gluteal line, is the least distinct of the three gluteal lines, begins in front at the notch on the anterior border, and, curving backward and downward, ends near the middle of the greater sciatic notch.

Associated muscles

The

gluteal muscles The gluteal muscles, often called glutes, are a group of three muscles which make up the gluteal region commonly known as the buttocks: the gluteus maximus muscle, gluteus maximus, gluteus medius muscle, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus muscl ...

all arise from the gluteal lines. The gluteus minimus is a fan-shaped convergent muscle, arising from the outer surface of the ilium, between the anterior and inferior gluteal lines, and behind, from the margin of the greater sciatic notch. The gluteus medius muscle originates on the outer surface of the ilium between the iliac crest and the posterior gluteal line above, and the anterior gluteal line below; the gluteus medius also originates from the gluteal aponeurosis that covers its outer surface. The

gluteus maximus The gluteus maximus is the main extensor muscle of the hip in humans. It is the largest and outermost of the three gluteal muscles and makes up a large part of the shape and appearance of each side of the hips. It is the single largest muscle in ...

arises from the posterior gluteal line of the inner upper ilium, and the rough portion of bone including the crest, immediately above and behind it; from the posterior surface of the lower part of the

sacrum The sacrum (: sacra or sacrums), in human anatomy, is a triangular bone at the base of the spine that forms by the fusing of the sacral vertebrae (S1S5) between ages 18 and 30. The sacrum situates at the upper, back part of the pelvic cavity, ...

and the side of the

coccyx The coccyx (: coccyges or coccyxes), commonly referred to as the tailbone, is the final segment of the vertebral column in all apes, and analogous structures in certain other mammals such as horse anatomy, horses. In tailless primates (e.g. hum ...

; from the aponeurosis of the erector spinae (lumbodorsal fascia), the sacrotuberous ligament, and the fascia covering the gluteus medius.

References

{{Authority control Ilium (bone)