LIGAMENTOUS CONTRIBUTIONS TO PELVIC STABILITY

The purpose of this study was to examine the ligamentous contributions to pelvic stability, Thirteen fresh frozen cadaver pelves were loaded in an MTS materials testing machine, and the supporting ligaments wer e sequentially cut, After each ligament was cut, measurements of pelvi c stability were made, Pelvic stability was maintained most effectivel y when the pelvic ring remained intact, The sacrotuberous and sacrospi nous ligaments contributed little to overall pelvic stability, The pos terior sacroiliac ligament and the pubic symphyseal ligaments contribu ted most to pelvic stability, but overall it was clear that a ligament 's contributions to pelvic stability depended not only on the ligament 's size, but also on the other ligament remaining intact and the mode in which the pelvis was loaded.