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Encyclopedia > Femur

Bone: Femur
Anterior view of the femur
Gray's subject #59 242
Origins Gastrocnemius , Vastus lateralis, Vastus medialis, Vastus intermedius
Insertions tensor fasciae latae, gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, Gluteus maximus, Iliopsoas
Articulations hip: acetabulum of pelvis superiorly
knee: with the tibia and patella inferiorly
MeSH Femur

The femur or thigh bone is the longest, most voluminous, and strongest bone of the mammalian bodies. It forms part of the hip and part of the knee. Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The gastrocnemius is a powerful superficial muscle that is in the back part of the lower leg (the calf). ... The Vastus lateralis muscle is a muscle of the human body. ... The vastus medialis is the muscle that brings the kneecap inward, holding it in the position it should be. ... The Vastus intermedius muscle is a muscle of the human body. ... The Tensor fasciae latae (singular: Tensor fasciae lata) are muscles of the thigh. ... The gluteus maximus is the largest of the gluteus muscles which are located in the buttock. ... The gluteus maximus is the largest of the gluteus muscles which are located in the buttock. ... The gluteus maximus is the largest of the gluteus muscles which are located in the buttock. ... In human anatomy, the hip flexors or iliopsoas are a group of muscles passing through the pelvis that act to flex the hips and rotate the lower spine. ... Bones of the Hip In anatomy, the hip is the bony projection of the femur, known as the greater trochanter, and the overlying muscle and fat. ... Categories: Anatomy stubs | Skeletal system ... The pelvis (pl. ... For other uses, see Knee (disambiguation). ... This article is about the vertebrate bone. ... The patella or kneecap is a thick, triangular bone which articulates with the femur and covers and protects the front of the knee joint. ... Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) is a huge controlled vocabulary (or metadata system) for the purpose of indexing journal articles and books in the life sciences. ... The skeleton of a Blue Whale, the largest animal on Earth. ... Grays Anatomy illustration of a human femur. ... Bones of the Hip In anatomy, the hip is the bony projection of the femur, known as the greater trochanter, and the overlying muscle and fat. ... For other uses, see Knee (disambiguation). ...


The word femur is Latin for thigh. In strict usage, femur bone is more proper than femur, as femur refers to thigh, and femur bone refers to the bone within it. The name of the bone itself comes from os femoris, although in modern medical usage the term femur is most often applied to the bone and not the thigh. In medical Latin its genitive is always femoris, but in classical Latin its genitive is often feminis, and should not be confused with case forms of femina, which means woman. Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... The genitive case is a grammatical case that indicates a relationship, primarily one of possession, between the noun in the genitive case and another noun. ... Classical Latin is the language used by the principal exponents of that language in what is usually regarded as classical Latin literature. ...

Contents

Fractures

Femur bone fractures, on occasion, are liable to cause permanent disability because the thigh muscles pull the fragments so they overlap, and the fragments re-unite incorrectly. To avoid this, femur fracture patients should be put into traction to keep the fragments pulled into proper alignment. With modern medical procedures, such as the insertion of rods and screws by way of surgery (known as Antegrade [through the hip] or Retrograde [through the knee] femoral rodding) those suffering from femur fractures can now generally expect to make a full recovery, though one that generally takes 3 to 6 months due to the bone's size. Patients should not put weight on the leg without permission from an orthopedic surgeon since this can delay the healing process. The thigh is generally not put in a cast since the surgical hardware does the job of straightening the bone and holding the fracture together while it heals. Permanent complications with this procedure include the risk of intra-articular sepsis, arthritis and knee stiffness. After the bone is healed, there is no further need for the hardware but, while it is left in some patients permanently, those who lead an active lifesytle may experience discomfort where the hardware projects into the leg muscle and, in such cases, the hardware can be removed, most commonly by means of out-patient surgery. In orthopaedic medicine, Traction refers to the set of mechanisms for straightening broken bones or relieving pressure on the skeletal system. ...


Hip fracture

Main article: Hip fracture

If bone is weakened, the proximal end of the femur bone near the hip joint is prone to fragility fracture. Most at risk are European descent, post-menopausal women, and osteoporosis severely increases this risk. Out of all the bones in the skeleton, the femur takes the longest to heal. This bone is the longest and strongest bone in the human body. When the average human being jumps this bone withstands a force of half a ton just a testament to its strength. A hip fracture is a fracture in the proximal end of the femur (the long bone running through the thigh), near the hip joint. ... In zootomy, several terms are used to describe the location of organs and other structures in the body of bilateral animals. ... In anatomy, the hip is the bony projection of the femur which is known as the greater trochanter, and the overlying muscle and fat. ... A fragility fracture is one that occurs as a result of a fall from standing height or less. ... Menopause (also known as the Change of life or climacteric) is a stage of the human female reproductive cycle that occurs as the ovaries stop producing estrogen, causing the reproductive system to gradually shut down. ... Image of a woman on the Pioneer plaque sent to outer space. ... Osteoporosis is a disease of bone in which the bone mineral density (BMD) is reduced, bone microarchitecture is disrupted, and the amount and variety of non-collagenous proteins in bone is altered. ...


Intercondylar Fossa

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.


In other animals

Parallel structures by the same name exist in other complex animals, such as the bone inside a ham or a leg of lamb. The name femur is also given to the most proximal full-length jointed segment of an arthropod's leg. For other meanings of ham or Ham, see Ham (disambiguation). ... See also lamb (disambiguation) An unweaned lamb The terms lamb, hoggett or mutton are used to describe the meat of a domestic sheep. ... In zootomy, several terms are used to describe the location of organs and other structures in the body of bilateral animals. ... Subphyla and Classes Subphylum Trilobitomorpha Trilobita - trilobites (extinct) Subphylum Chelicerata Arachnida - spiders,scorpions, etc. ... Diagram of an insect leg A leg is the part of an animals body that supports the rest of the animal above the ground and is used for locomotion. ...


External links

The Medical University of Vienna , formerly the faculty of medicine of the University of Vienna, became an independent university on January 1, 2004. ...

Additional images


  Results from FactBites:
 
II. Osteology. 6c. 3. The Femur. Gray, Henry. 1918. Anatomy of the Human Body. (5194 words)
The other two borders of the femur are only slightly marked: the lateral border extends from the antero-inferior angle of the greater trochanter to the anterior extremity of the lateral condyle; the medial border from the intertrochanteric line, at a point opposite the lesser trochanter, to the anterior extremity of the medial condyle.
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 trabeculæ of the upper femur, as shown in frontal sections, are arranged in two general systems, compressive and tensile, which correspond in position with the lines of maximum and minimum stresses in the femur determined by the mathematical analysis of the femur as a mechanical structure.
Femur - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (511 words)
The femur consists of a head and a neck proximally, a diaphysis (or shaft), and two condyles (medial and lateral) distally.
Posteriorly the gluteal tuberosity is a rough surface that gluteus maximus attaches to.
Femur fractures, on occasion, are liable to cause permanent disability because the thigh muscles pull the fragments so they overlap, and the fragments re-unite incorrectly.
  More results at FactBites »

 

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