Iliac Crest (Top of the Hip Bone) – Meaning and Usage in Medical English

The iliac crest is the curved upper edge of the hip bone that you can feel under the skin at the sides of the waist.

👁 What Does “Iliac Crest” Mean?

The iliac crest is the curved, upper edge of the hip bone that you can often feel just under the skin.

The word iliac comes from the Latin ilium, meaning hip, while crest refers to a ridge or raised edge.
Put together, iliac crest literally means the ridge of the hip.

In medicine, the term is commonly used in anatomy, physical examination, and procedures involving the pelvis.

---

🔍 Clinical Usage

In real medical settings, iliac crest appears frequently in:

• patient charts and examination notes
• procedure documentation (such as injections or bone marrow sampling)
• anatomy teaching and radiology reports

Healthcare professionals use this term to describe a palpable landmark on the body.
Because it is easy to locate, the iliac crest is often used as a reference point during physical exams or procedures.

You may also hear related phrases such as:

• tenderness over the iliac crest
• pain at the iliac crest
• iliac crest injection site

In nursing and medical notes, the wording is usually simple and direct, focusing on location rather than detailed anatomy.

Example sentence:
“Tenderness was noted over the iliac crest on palpation.”

This kind of sentence is common in exam findings, discharge summaries, and teaching materials — and it’s exactly the level of clarity expected in OET-style communication.

---

🎥 Watch the Short Video

👉 Watch our 20-second clip: Iliac Crest – Learn how to pronounce it and remember how it’s used in real medical English.

🔗 Related Words

• Umbilicus (Belly Button)
• Groin (Inguinal Region)
• Infrascapular Region (Below the Shoulder Blade)
• Lumbar Triangle (Petit’s Triangle)

Browse every term in our Medical English Body Parts A–Z guide.