Femur From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to: navigation, search For femurs (femora) in invertebrates, see Arthropod leg.

Bone: Femur

Anterior view of the femurLatin os femoris, os longissimumGray's subject #59 242

OriginsGastrocnemius , Vastus lateralis, Vastus medialis, Vastus intermedius

Insertionstensor fasciae latae, gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, Gluteus maximus, Iliopsoas   

Articulations

hip: acetabulum of pelvis superiorlyknee: with the tibia and patella inferiorly  

MeSH Femur

The femur (pl. femurs or femora), or thigh bone, is the most proximal (closest to the center of the body) bone of the leg in tetrapod vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs. In vertebrates

with four legs such as dogs and horses, the femur is found only in the rear legs. The femur is the largest bone in the body. The head of the femur articulates with the acetabulum. The femur is the strongest bone in the body, about as strong as steel.

Contents [hide] 

1 In humans 2 Other species

3 Terminology in invertebrate zoology

4 Fractures

5 Etymology

6 Additional images

7 References

8 External links

[edit] In humansIn human anatomy, the femur is the longest and largest bone in the body. The average adult male femur is 48 centimeters (18.9 in) in length and 2.8 cm (1.1 in) in diameter at the mid-shaft, and has the ability to support up to 30 times the weight of an adult.[1] The femur forms part of the hip joint (at the acetabulum) and part of the knee joint, above which it is located. There are four eminences, or protuberances, in the human femur: the head, the greater trochanter, the lesser trochanter, and the lower extremity. They appear at various times from just before birth to about age 14. Initially, they are joined to the main body of the femur with cartilage, which gradually becomes ossified until the protuberances become an integral part of the femur bone, usually in early adulthood.

The shaft of the femur is cylindrical and has a rough line, the linea aspera, on its posterior surface.

The intercondylar fossa is present between the condyles at the distal end of the femur. In addition to the intercondylar eminence on the tibial plateau, there is both an anterior and posterior intercondylar fossa (area), the sites of anterior cruciate and posterior cruciate ligament attachment, respectively.

[edit] Other speciesIn primitive tetrapods, the main points of muscle attachment along the femur are the internal trochanter and fourth 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, 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.[2]

Some species of whales [3] , 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.

[edit] Terminology in invertebrate zoologyIn 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.

Second anatomy

The Femur

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Embryology

II. Osteology

III. Syndesmology

IV. Myology

V. Angiology

VI. The Arteries

FIG. 243– Upper extremity of right femur viewed from behind and above.

(Thigh Bone)

The femur (Figs. 244, 245), the longest and strongest bone in the skeleton, is almost perfectly cylindrical in the greater part of its extent. In the erect posture it is not vertical, being separated above from its fellow by a considerable interval, which corresponds to the breadth of the pelvis, but inclining gradually downward and medialward, so as to approach its fellow toward its lower part, for the purpose of bringing the knee-joint near the line of gravity of the body. The degree of this inclination varies in different persons, and is greater in the female than in the male, on account of the greater breadth of the pelvis. The femur, like other long bones, is divisible into a body and two extremities. The Upper Extremity (proximal extremity, Fig. 243).—The upper extremity presents for examination a head, a neck, a greater and a lesser trochanter. The Head (caput femoris).—The head which is globular and forms rather more than a hemisphere, is directed upward, medialward, and a little forward, the greater part of its convexity being above and in front. Its surface is smooth, coated with cartilage in the fresh state, except over an ovoid depression, the fovea capitis femoris, which is situated a little below and behind the center of the head, and gives attachment to the ligamentum teres.

VII. The Veins

VIII. The Lymphatic System

IX. Neurology

X. The Organs of the Senses and the Common Integument

XI. Splanchnology

XII. Surface Anatomy and Surface Markings

BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

SUBJECT INDEX

 The Neck (collum femoris).—The neck is a flattened pyramidal process of bone, connecting the head with the body, and forming with the latter a wide angle opening medialward. The angle is widest in infancy, and becomes lessened during growth, so that at puberty it forms a gentle curve from the axis of the body of the bone. In the adult, the neck forms an angle of about 125° with the body, but this varies in inverse proportion to the development of the pelvis and the stature. In the female, in consequence of the increased width of the pelvis, the neck of the femur forms more nearly a right angle with the body than it does in the male. The angle decreases during the period of growth, but after full growth has been attained it does not usually undergo any change, even in old age; it varies considerably in different persons of the same age. It is smaller in short than in long bones, and when the pelvis is wide. In addition to projecting upward and medialward from the body of the femur, the neck also projects somewhat forward; the amount of this forward projection is extremely variable, but on an average is from 12° to 14°.   The neck is flattened from before backward, contracted in the middle, and broader laterally than medially. The vertical diameter of the lateral half is increased by the obliquity of the lower edge, which slopes downward to join the body at the level of the lesser trochanter, so that it measures one-third more than the antero-posterior diameter. The medial half is smaller and of a more circular shape. The anterior surface of the neck is perforated by numerous vascular foramina. Along the upper part of the line of junction of the anterior surface with the head is a shallow groove, best marked in elderly subjects; this groove lodges the orbicular fibers of the capsule of the hip-joint. The posterior surface is smooth, and is broader and more concave than the anterior: the posterior part of the capsule of the hip-joint is attached to it about 1 cm. above the intertrochanteric crest. The superior border is short and thick, and ends laterally at the greater trochanter; its surface is perforated by large foramina. The inferior border, long and narrow, curves a little backward, to end at the lesser trochanter. The Trochanters.—The trochanters are prominent processes which afford leverage to the muscles that rotate the thigh on its axis. They are two in number, the greater and the lesser.

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