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Femur
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Main page Not to be confused with Fima (disambiguation) or FEMA (disambiguation).
Contents The femur (/ˈfiːmər/, pl. femurs or femora
Current events Femur
/ˈfɛmərə/)[1][2], or thigh bone, is the proximal bone of
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the hindlimb in tetrapod vertebrates (for example, the
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Contact us largest bone of the human thigh ). The head of the femur
Donate articulates with the acetabulum in the pelvic bone
forming the hip joint, while the distal part of the femur
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articulates with the tibia and kneecap , forming the knee
Help joint. By most measures the two (left and right) femurs are
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the strongest bones of the body, and in humans,[vague]
the
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longest.
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Contents []
Tools 1 Structure
1.1 Upper part Position of femur (shown in red)
What links here
Related changes 1.2 Body
Special pages 1.3 Lower part
Permanent link 1.4 Development
Page information 2 Function
Cite this page 2.1 Muscle attachments
Wikidata item 3 Clinical significance
3.1 Fractures
Print/export
4 Other animals
Download as PDF 4.1 Invertebrates
Printable version
5 Additional images
In other projects 6 References
7 External links
Wikimedia Commons
Languages
Dansk
Structure [ edit ]
Deutsch The femur is the only bone in the upper leg . The two
Español femurs converge medially toward the knees , where they
Français
articulate with the proximal ends of the tibiae . The angle
Hrvatski
of convergence of the femora is a major factor in Left femur seen from behind.
Italiano
Nederlands determining the femoral-tibial angle . Human females have Details
Русский wider pelvic bones , causing their femora to converge Origins Gastrocnemius, vastus lateralis,
Türkçe more than in males. vastus medialis and vastus
intermedius
56 more In the condition genu valgum (knock knee) the femurs
Insertions Gluteus maximus, gluteus
Edit links converge so much that the knees touch one another. The medius, gluteus minimus,
opposite extreme is genu varum (bow-leggedness) . In the iliopsoas, lateral rotator group,
general population of people without either genu valgum adductors of the hip
or genu varum, the femoral-tibial angle is about 175 Articulations hip: acetabulum of pelvis
degrees.[3] superiorly
knee: with the tibia and patella
The femur is the longest and, by some measures, the inferiorly
strongest bone in the human body. This depends on the Identifiers
type of measurement taken to calculate strength. Some Latin Os femoris, os longissimum
strength tests show the temporal bone in the skull to be the MeSH D005269
strongest bone. The femur length on average is 26.74% of
TA98 A02.5.04.001
a person's height,[4] a ratio found in both men and women
TA2 1360
and most ethnic groups with only restricted variation, and
FMA 9611
is useful in anthropology because it offers a basis for a
Anatomical terms of bone
reasonable estimate of a subject's height from an [edit on Wikidata]
incomplete skeleton .
The femur is categorised as a long bone and comprises a diaphysis (shaft or body ) and two epiphyses
(extremities) that articulate with adjacent bones in the hip and knee.[3]
Upper part [ edit ]
Main article: Upper extremity of femur
The upper or proximal extremity (close to the torso )
contains the head , neck , the two trochanters and
adjacent structures.[3]
The head of the femur, which articulates with the
acetabulum of the pelvic bone , comprises two-thirds
of a sphere . It has a small groove, or fovea ,
connected through the round ligament to the sides of
the acetabular notch . The head of the femur is
connected to the shaft through the neck or collum.
The neck is 4–5 cm. long and the diameter is smallest
The upper extremity of right femur viewed from
front to back and compressed at its middle. The
behind and above, showing head, neck, and the
collum forms an angle with the shaft in about 130 greater and lesser trochanter
degrees. This angle is highly variant. In the infant it is
about 150 degrees and in old age reduced to 120
degrees on average. An abnormal increase in the angle is known as coxa valga and an abnormal reduction is
called coxa vara . Both the head and neck of the femur is vastly embedded in the hip musculature and can not
be directly palpated . In skinny people with the thigh laterally rotated, the head of the femur can be felt deep
as a resistance profound (deep) for the femoral artery .[3]
The transition area between the head and neck is quite rough due to attachment of muscles and the hip joint
capsule. Here the two trochanters , greater and lesser trochanter , are found. The greater trochanter is almost
box-shaped and is the most lateral prominent of the femur. The highest point of the greater trochanter is
located higher than the collum and reaches the midpoint of the hip joint. The greater trochanter can easily be
felt. The trochanteric fossa is a deep depression bounded posteriorly by the intertrochanteric crest on medial
surface of the greater trochanter.
The lesser trochanter is a cone-shaped extension of the lowest part of the
femur neck. The two trochanters are joined by the intertrochanteric crest on the back side and by the
intertrochanteric line on the front.[3]
A slight ridge is sometimes seen commencing about the middle of the intertrochanteric crest, and reaching
vertically downward for about 5 cm. along the back part of the body: it is called the linea quadrata (or
quadrate line).
About the junction of the upper one-third and lower two-thirds on the intertrochanteric crest is the quadrate
tubercle located. The size of the tubercle varies and it is not always located on the intertrochanteric crest and
that also adjacent areas can be part of the quadrate tubercle, such as the posterior surface of the greater
trochanter or the neck of the femur. In a small anatomical study it was shown that the epiphyseal line passes
directly through the quadrate tubercle.[5]
Body [ edit ]
Main article: Body of femur
The body of the femur (or shaft) is long, slender and almost cylindrical in form. It is a little broader above
than in the center, broadest and somewhat flattened from before backward below. It is slightly arched, so as
to be convex in front, and concave behind, where it is strengthened by a prominent longitudinal ridge, the
linea aspera which diverges proximally and distal as the medial and lateral ridge. Proximally the lateral ridge
of the linea aspera becomes the gluteal tuberosity while the medial ridge continues as the pectineal line .
Besides the linea aspera the shaft has two other bordes; a lateral and medial border . These three bordes
separates the shaft into three surfaces: One anterior , one medial and one lateral. Due to the vast musculature
of the thigh the shaft can not be palpated .[3]
The third trochanter is a bony projection occasionally present on the proximal femur near the superior border
of the gluteal tuberosity. When present, it is oblong, rounded, or conical in shape and sometimes continuous
with the gluteal ridge.[6] A structure of minor importance in humans, the incidence of the third trochanter
varies from 17–72% between ethnic groups and it is frequently reported as more common in females than in
males.[7]
Lower part [ edit ]
Main article: Lower extremity of femur
The lower extremity of the femur (or distal extremity) is larger
than the upper extremity. It is somewhat cuboid in form, but its
transverse diameter is greater than its antero-posterior (front to
back). It consists of two oblong eminences known as the
condyles .[3]
Lower extremity of right femur
Anteriorly, the condyles are slightly prominent and are
viewed from below.
separated by a smooth shallow articular depression called the
patellar surface. Posteriorly, they project considerably and a
deep notch, the Intercondylar fossa of femur, is present between
them. The lateral condyle is the more prominent and is the
broader both in its antero-posterior and transverse diameters.
The medial condyle is the longer and, when the femur is held
with its body perpendicular, projects to a lower level. When,
however, the femur is in its natural oblique position the lower
surfaces of the two condyles lie practically in the same
horizontal plane. The condyles are not quite parallel with one
another; the long axis of the lateral is almost directly antero-
posterior, but that of the medial runs backward and medialward. Left knee joint from behind, showing
Their opposed surfaces are small, rough, and concave, and form interior ligaments.
the walls of the intercondyloid fossa . This fossa is limited above
by a ridge, the intercondyloid line , and below by the central part of the posterior margin of the patellar
surface. The posterior cruciate ligament of the knee joint is attached to the lower and front part of the medial
wall of the fossa and the anterior cruciate ligament to an impression on the upper and back part of its lateral
wall.[3]
The articular surface of the lower end of the femur occupies the anterior, inferior, and posterior surfaces of
the condyles. Its front part is named the patellar surface and articulates with the patella ; it presents a median
groove which extends downward to the intercondyloid fossa and two convexities, the lateral of which is
broader, more prominent, and extends farther upward than the medial.[3]
Each condyle is surmounted by an elevation, the epicondyle . The medial epicondyle is a large convex
eminence to which the tibial collateral ligament of the knee-joint is attached. At its upper part is the adductor
tubercle and behind it is a rough impression which gives origin to the medial head of the gastrocnemius .
The lateral epicondyle which is smaller and less prominent than the medial, gives attachment to the fibular
collateral ligament of the knee-joint.[3]
Development [ edit ]
Main article: Limb development
The femur develops from the limb buds as a result of interactions between the ectoderm and the underlying
mesoderm , formation occurs roughly around the fourth week of development.[8]
By the sixth week of development, the first hyaline cartilage model of the femur is formed by
chondrocytes . Endochondral ossification begins by the end of the embryonic period and primary
ossification centers are present in all long bones of the limbs, including the femur, by the 12th week of
development. The hindlimb development lags behind forelimb development by 1–2 days.
Function [ edit ]
As the femur is the only bone in the thigh, it serves as an attachment point for all the muscles that exert their
force over the hip and knee joints. Some biarticular muscles – which cross two joints, like the
gastrocnemius and plantaris muscles – also originate from the femur. In all, 23 individual muscles either
originate from or insert onto the femur.
In cross-section, the thigh is divided up into three separate fascial compartments divided by fascia , each
containing muscles. These compartments use the femur as an axis, and are separated by tough connective
tissue membranes (or septa ). Each of these compartments has its own blood and nerve supply, and
contains a different group of muscles . These compartments are named the anterior , medial and posterior
fascial compartments.
Muscle attachments [ edit ]
Muscle attachments Muscle attachments
(seen from the front) (seen from the back)
Muscle Direction Attachment[9]
Iliacus muscle Insertion Lesser trochanter
Psoas major muscle Insertion Lesser trochanter
Gluteus maximus
Insertion Gluteal tuberosity
muscle
Gluteus medius muscle Insertion Lateral surface of greater trochanter
Gluteus minimus
Insertion Forefront of greater trochanter
muscle
Piriformis muscle Insertion Superior boundary of greater trochanter
Gemellus superior Upper edge of Obturator internus 's tendon (indirectly greater
Insertion
muscle trochanter)
Obturator internus
Insertion Medial surface of greater trochanter
muscle
Gemellus inferior Lower edge of Obturator internus 's tendon (indirectly greater
Insertion
muscle trochanter)
Quadratus femoris
Insertion Intertrochanteric crest
muscle
Obturator externus
Insertion Trochanteric fossa
muscle
Pectineus muscle Insertion Pectineal line
Adductor longus muscle Insertion Medial ridge of linea aspera
Adductor brevis muscle Insertion Medial ridge of linea aspera
Adductor magnus
Insertion Medial ridge of linea aspera and the adductor tubercle
muscle
Vastus lateralis muscle Origin Greater trochanter and lateral ridge of linea aspera
Vastus intermedius
Origin Front and lateral surface of femur
muscle
Vastus medialis muscle Origin Distal part of intertrochanteric line and medial ridge of linea aspera
Short head of biceps
Origin Lateral ridge of linea aspera
femoris
Popliteus muscle Origin Under the lateral epicondyle
Articularis genu muscle Origin Lower 1/4 of anterior femur deep to vastus intermedius
Behind the adductor tubercle , over the lateral epicondyle and the
Gastrocnemius muscle Origin
popliteal facies
Plantaris muscle Origin Over the lateral condyle
Clinical significance [ edit ]
Fractures [ edit ]
Main articles: Hip fracture and femoral fracture
A femoral fracture that involves the femoral head , femoral neck or the shaft of the femur immediately below
the lesser trochanter may be classified as a hip fracture , especially when associated with osteoporosis .
Femur fractures can be managed in a pre-hospital setting with the use of a traction splint .
Other animals [ edit ]
In primitive tetrapods, the main points of muscle attachment
along the femur are the internal trochanter and third
trochanter, and a ridge along the ventral surface of the femoral
shaft referred to as the adductor crest. The neck of the femur
is generally minimal or absent in the most primitive forms, Femora of Moa chicks.
reflecting a simple attachment to the acetabulum. The greater
trochanter was present in the extinct archosaurs , as well as in
modern birds and mammals, being associated with the loss of the primitive sprawling gait. The lesser
trochanter is a unique development of mammals, which lack both the internal and fourth trochanters. The
adductor crest is also often absent in mammals or alternatively reduced to a series of creases along the
surface of the bone.[10]
Some species of whales ,[11] snakes , and other non-walking vertebrates have vestigial femurs.
One of the earliest known vertebrates to have a femur is the eusthenopteron, a prehistoric lobe-finned fish
from the Late Devonian period.
Structures analogous to the third trochanter are present in mammals, including some primates.[7]
Invertebrates [ edit ]
Main article: Arthropod leg
In invertebrate zoology the name femur appears in arthropodology . The usage is not homologous with that
of vertebrate anatomy; the term "femur" simply has been adopted by analogy and refers, where applicable, to
the most proximal of (usually) the two longest jointed segments of the legs of the arthropoda . The two basal
segments preceding the femur are the coxa and trochanter . This convention is not followed in carcinology
but it applies in arachnology and entomology . In myriapodology another segment, the prefemur, connects
the trochanter and femur.
Additional images [ edit ]
Position of femur (shown View from behind. View from the front.
in red). Pelvis and patella
are shown as semi-
transparent.
3D image Long Bone (Femur) Muscles of thigh. Lateral
view.
Muscles of thigh. Cross Distribution forces of the
section. femur
References [ edit ]
1. ^ "Femora" . Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
2. ^ "Femora" . Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House .
3. ^ abcdefghij Bojsen-Møller, Finn; Simonsen, Erik B.; Tranum-Jensen, Jørgen (2001).
Bevægeapparatets anatomi [Anatomy of the Locomotive Apparatus] (in Danish) (12th ed.). pp. 239–
241. ISBN 978-87-628-0307-7 .
4. ^ Feldesman, M.R., J.G. Kleckner, and J.K. Lundy. (November 1990). "The femur/stature ratio and estimates
of stature in mid-and late-pleistocene fossil hominids". American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 83
(3): 359–372. doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330830309 . PMID 2252082 .
5. ^ Sunderland S (January 1938). "The Quadrate Tubercle of the Femur" . J. Anat. 72 (Pt 2): 309–12.
PMC 1252427 . PMID 17104699 .
6. ^ Lozanoff, Scott; Sciulli, Paul W; Schneider, Kim N (December 1985). "Third trochanter incidence and
metric trait covariation in the human femur" . J Anat. 143: 149–159. PMC 1166433 .
PMID 3870721 .
7. ^ ab
Bolanowski, Wojciech; Śmiszkiewicz-Skwarska, Alicja; Polguj, Michał; Jędrzejewski, Kazimierz S
(2005). "The occurrence of the third trochanter and its correlation to certain anthropometric parameters of the
human femur" (PDF). Folia Morphol. 64 (3): 168–175. PMID 16228951 .
8. ^ Gilbert, Scott F. "Developmental Biology". 9th ed., 2010
9. ^ Bojsen-Møller, Finn; Simonsen, Erik B.; Tranum-Jensen, Jørgen (2001). Bevægeapparatets anatomi
[Anatomy of the Locomotive Apparatus] (in Danish) (12th ed.). pp. 364–367. ISBN 978-87-628-0307-7 .
10. ^ Romer, Alfred Sherwood; Parsons, Thomas S. (1977). The Vertebrate Body. Philadelphia, PA: Holt-
Saunders International. pp. 204–205. ISBN 978-0-03-910284-5 .
11. ^ Struthers, John (January 1881). "The Bones, Articulations, and Muscles of the Rudimentary Hind-Limb
the Greenland Right-Whale (Balaena mysticetus)" . Journal of Anatomy and Physiology. 15 (Pt 2): i1–
176. PMC 1310010 . PMID 17231384 .
External links [ edit ]
Media related to Femur at Wikimedia Commons
The dictionary definition of Femur at Wiktionary
The dictionary definition of thighbone at Wiktionary
v·t·e Bones of the human leg [hide]
head
(fovea) · neck · greater trochanter
(fossa) · lesser trochanter ·
upper extremity
intertrochanteric line · intertrochanteric crest · quadrate tubercle
linea aspera
(upper medial: merges with intertrochanteric line · upper
Femur shaft
intermediate: pectineal line · upper lateral: gluteal tuberosity / third trochanter)
adductor tubercle · patellar surface · epicondyles
(lateral · medial) · condyles
lower extremity
(lateral · medial) · intercondylar fossa
Gerdy's tubercle · condyles
(lateral · medial) · intercondylar area
(posterior ·
upper extremity
anterior · intercondylar eminence · lateral tubercle · medial tubercle)
Tibia
shaft tuberosity · soleal line
lower extremity medial malleolus
(Anterior colliculus · Posterior colliculus) · fibular notch
Fibula lateral malleolus
Other patella
(apex)
calcaneus
(sustentaculum tali · calcaneal tubercle) · talus · navicular · cuboid ·
Tarsus
cuneiform
(medial · intermediate · lateral)
Foot
Metatarsals 1st · 2nd · 3rd · 4th · 5th
Other Phalanges
Authority control GND: 4172282-6 · TA98: A02.5.04.001
Categories : Femur Bones of the lower limb Long bones
This page was last edited on 19 October 2020, at 10:43 (UTC).
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