Clinical Relevance of the Iliac Crest for Acupuncture Students

This report delves into the clinical relevance of the iliac crest, a crucial anatomical landmark, particularly for acupuncture students. It begins with a description of the iliac crest's anatomical location and its relationship to various muscles and structures, including the sartorius, gluteus medius, external/internal obliques, transverse abdominus, gluteus maximus, quadratus lumborum, and latissimus dorsi. The report then focuses on hip pointer injuries, which often affect athletes, and discusses how acupuncture can be used to manage pain and inflammation associated with these injuries. The author, an acupuncture student, highlights the importance of understanding this bony landmark for effective treatment. The report also references UPMC Sports Medicine and relevant research articles, underscoring the connection between sports performance and injury management. The report emphasizes the need for accuracy in locating acupuncture points and the potential benefits of acupuncture in treating hip pointer injuries by reducing pain and swelling and improving circulation to promote healing. The report concludes with a discussion on the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment and the importance of continued education in the field.

Clinical relevance assignment:
Iliac crest is the curved superior rim of the ilium. (biel) It is one of the three bones that form
the hip bone. It is positioned on the lateral and superior surface of the ilium. The iliac crest
starts at the anterior superior iliac spine and comes around the torso and extends to the
posterior superior iliac spine. The iliac crest is the origin of many important muscles. These
muscles include; sartorius, gluteus medius, external/internal obliques, transverse
abdominus, gluteus maximus, quadratus lumborum and latissimus dorsi.
Other structures such as the large intestines, external iliac veins and arteries, deep
circumflex iliac arteries are all located near the iliac crest. Having a sound understanding of
the fundamental anatomical structures of the human body is essential for acupuncture
students to be able to locate the acupuncture points accurately. Significant measures and
extensive training are taken to prevent damaging nerves, blood vessels and organs during
practise.
A hip pointer injury is a deep bruise to the iliac crest. This can be as a result of direct impact
or collision to the hip that is hard enough to crush the soft tissues of the iliac crest. Hip
pointer injuries are frequently associated with athletes that participate in contact and
collision sports such as football, and people who frequently fall onto their hips. Upon
trauma, immediate pain, swelling is expected following with a decline in range of movement
and weakness in the hip.
Although acupuncture treatment can not heal hip pointer injuries immediately, it is a great
option to manage and reduce the pain and swelling associated with it. This is done by
stimulating acupuncture points around the iliac crest to help remove any blockages within
the body. This enhances the blood circulation to the affected area and alleviates
inflammation, thus allowing the body to heal and function properly again.
As an acupuncturist in training, this particular bony landmark is of interest to me because
there is a high chance that people with hip pointer injuries will seek pain relief from an
acupuncture treatment. I would expect a majority of the patients I see with this injury to be
athletes or actively participating in sport.
UPMC Sports Medicine offers a range of services to help athletes reach their peak
performance. No author was acknowledged in this blog. This company is sponsored by a
number of different professional sports-based teams. The Information provided is very
specific to athletes and sports performance and therefor cannot be generalised to the
public.

References:
https://www.innerbody.com/image_skelfov/skel18_new.html#continued
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538258/
https://www.upmc.com/services/sports-medicine/conditions/hip-pointer#treatment
https://acupuncturereliefproject.org/about/evidence/case-studies/44-blog/case-studies/258-
bilateral-hip-and-low-back-pain
https://physioworks.com.au/injuries-conditions-1/hip-pointer
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519524/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23522513
https://okanaganacupuncture.com/hip-pain/
https://www.hss.edu/playbook/hip-pointers-football-players/