Greater sciatic notch muscles. Of these, the superior gluteal vessels and nerve pass out above the piriformis, and the other structures below it. The greater sciatic notch is wider in women (about 74.4 degree in female) than in men (about 50.4 degree in male). Greater sciatic notch The greater sciatic notch is a notch in the ilium, one of the bones that make up the human pelvis. It lies between the posterior inferior iliac spine (above), and the ischial spine (below). The sacrospinous ligament changes this notch into an opening, the greater sciatic foramen. The notch holds the piriformis, the superior gluteal vein
Sciatic nerve also innervates muscles. In particular: Pain caused by a compression or irritation of the sciatic nerve by a problem in the lower back is called sciatica. Common causes of sciatica include the following lower back and hip conditions: spinal disc herniation, degenerative disc disease, lumbar spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, and piriformis syndrome. Other acute causes of sciatica include coughing, muscular hypertension, and sneezing. Sciatic nerve injury occurs between 0.5% and 2.0% of the time during a hip replacement. Sciatic nerve palsy is a complication of total hip arthroplasty with an incidence of 0.2% to 2.8% of the time, or with an