Students Uncover Muscle Attachment That May Improve Hip Surgery

WHO:

NY Post - Two undergraduate students at Tulane University discovered an anatomical feature their professor initially could not identify.

Fox News - The students were Dominic Roy and Cooper Bruce, both 19-year-old college sophomores when they made the discovery.

Fox News - R. Shane Tubbs, Ph.D., is a Tulane School of Medicine professor of neurosurgery and director of surgical anatomy, and a co-editor-in-chief of *Gray’s Anatomy*.

Fox News - Physicians from overseas and medical students also helped investigate the muscle attachment.

WHAT:

Fox News - Roy and Bruce found a previously undocumented muscle attachment in the pelvis while dissecting cadaver hips. The findings were published in *Clinical Anatomy*.

Fox News - The students were comparing where the iliacus joins the psoas major, which runs from the lower back through the pelvis to the upper thigh. Roy was looking for the iliocapsularis, located laterally in the hip, when he noticed a similar-looking muscle on the other side of the iliac fascia near the inguinal region.

Fox News - Roy said, “I called Dr. Tubbs over and asked, ‘What is this?’ We didn't talk about this in our morning meetings ... and I think he was as stumped as me.”

Fox News - The team’s literature and textbook searches did not identify the muscle attachment. Tubbs said it was deep in the pelvis and extended to the front of the hip.

Fox News - The attachment was not present in every cadaver. Researchers also found it in gorillas.

Fox News - The discovery inspired Roy and Bruce, now seniors, to explore medical careers; Roy plans to enter a master’s program in anatomy.

WHERE:

NY Post - The discovery was made by students at Tulane University in New Orleans.

Fox News - The discovery occurred in Tulane’s cadaver lab.

WHEN:

Fox News - Roy and Bruce made the discovery in 2024.

Fox News - Tubbs was photographed in his office on Tulane’s downtown campus on March 27, 2026.

WHY:

Fox News - The muscle’s function has not been determined; clues suggest it may help stabilize the psoas major, which is involved in bending the hip.

Fox News - Tubbs said awareness of the attachment could improve care during hip surgery. It might be rehabilitated with physical therapy if weak, weakened with injections if overactive, or considered by surgeons when evaluating whether cutting it could help a patient.

HOW:

Fox News - Researchers plan to investigate whether MRI scans can show the attachment and whether its presence is associated with symptoms. Tubbs said further research is needed to clarify its function.

Fox News - Tubbs said the muscle fibers attach directly to the front of the hip joint. He expects the discovery may eventually appear in anatomy textbooks, but said it must first be studied across geographic regions.

(UPDATED November 5, 2026 19:15 UTC)

Tulane students discovered a previously undocumented muscle attachment in the pelvis while dissecting cadavers. Their professor initially couldn’t identify it; researchers also found the attachment in gorillas. Its function remains uncertain, but recognizing it could help guide hip surgery and care.