Where it is
Between the last rib and the pelvis, on the upper part of the trunk.
- Layer
- Exterior and regions
- System
- Body regions
- Region
- Trunk
What it is and what it does
The loin is the portion of the back between the last rib and the pelvis. Beneath it lie the seven lumbar vertebrae, which have no ribs, so the region is supported only by muscle. Much of the spine's flexibility at the gallop comes from here, when the back arches and stretches.
Worth remembering
Much of the spine's flexibility at the gallop comes from here, when the back arches and stretches.
Names
- Also called: loin, lumbar area.
- Latin term: regio lumbalis.
- In Romanian: Regiunea lombară (șalele) (Romanian page).
In the atlas lessons
Body regions: what is where (4 min):
The topline continues with the back, the loin (the lumbar region, with no ribs) and the croup, above the pelvis.
Walk, trot, pace, gallop (4 min):
The gallop: four beats with phases of suspension. Rotary: right hind, left hind, suspension, left fore, right fore, suspension; the dog's fastest gait. Transverse: the hind pair, then the front pair, a single suspension. The canter has three beats.