The femur or thigh bone, is the proximal bone of the hindlimb in tetrapod vertebrates. The head of the femur articulates with the acetabulum in the pelvic bone forming the hip joint, while the distal part of the femur articulates with the tibia and kneecap forming the knee joint. By most measures the femur is the strongest bone in the body. The femur is also the longest bone in the human body.

1. DIVAKER KUMAR
Bachelor of Physiotherapy

2.  Thigh bone
 Longest and
the strongest
bone in the
body
 It has a
 Shaft
 Upper end
 Lower end

3.  Includes
• Head
• Neck
• Greater
trochanter(=knob like)
• Lesser trochanter
• Intertrochanteric line
• Intertrochanteric crest

4. • Shaft is more or
less cylindrical
• More expanded
inferiorly than
superiorly
• Convex
forwards
• Directed
obliquely
downwards and
medially

5. • Includes :
 2 large
Condyles –
Medial &
Lateral
 Posteriorly
separated by
a deep gap-
Intercondyla
r fossa or
notch

6. • Head is directed medially
upwards and slightly
forwards
• Shaft is directed
obliquely downwards
and medially so that the
lower surfaces of the 2
condyles of the femur lie
in the same horizontal
plane

7. • Upper end bears a
rounded head whereas
the lower end is
expanded to form 2 large
condyles
• Head is directed
medially
• Cylindrical shaft is
convex forwards

8. Head of the Femur:
• Forms more than half of a sphere
• Directed medially, upwards and
slightly forwards
• Pit/ Fovea – at the centre of the
head – Round ligament of the
head( Ligamentum teres femoris)
• Blood supply:
 Small, Medial part – by Medial
epiphyseal arteries( Posterior
division of the obturator artery &
ascending branch of medial
circumflex femoral artery)
 Larger lateral part – Lateral
epiphyseal arteries( retinacular
branches of medial circumflex
femoral artery)- Necrosis due to
fracture of the neck

9. Neck of the Femur:
• Connects head with the shaft, about 3.7
cms in length
• Neck shaft angle - 125⁰ in adults :
facilitates the movement of the hip
joint, strengthened by Calcar femorale
• 2 borders , 2 surfaces
• Borders:
 Upper border: concave, horizontal,
meets the shaft at the greater trochanter
 Lower border: straight and oblique, at
the lesser trochanter
• Surfaces :
 Anterior: meets shaft at the
intertrochanteric line, entirely
intracapsular; oblique bony ridges for
attachment of retinacular fibers of
fibrous capsule
 Posterior : only a little more than it’s
medial half is intracapsular, groove for
tendon of obturator externus

10. • Angle of femoral torsion/ Anteversion: between the
transverse diameters of upper end and lower end of femur
• Blood supply:
Intracapsular part- retinacular arteries( chiefly from
trochanteric anastamosis) – produce longitudinal grooves and
foramina directed towards the head, mainly on the anterior &
postero-superior surfaces
Extracapsular part- ascending branch of medial circumflex
femoral artery

11. Greater Trochanter:
• Large quadrangular prominence
located at the upper part of
junction of neck with the shaft
 Upper border with an apex
 3 surfaces: Anterior, medial &
Lateral
• Apex- inturned posterior part of
posterior border
• Anterior surface- rough in it’s
lateral part
• Medial surface- rough impression
above, deep trochanteric fossa
below
• Lateral surface- crossed by a
ridge directed downwards and
forwards

12. Attachments :
• Piriformis – apex
• Gluteus minimus – rough
lateral part of the anterior
surface
• Obturator internus, 2 gemelli-
upper rough impression on the
medial surface
• Obturator externus-
trochanteric fossa
• Gluteus medius- ridge on the
lateral surface

13. Lesser Trochanter:
• Conical eminence
• Directed medially, backwards
from the junction of postero-
inferior part of neck with the
shaft
• Attachments:
 Psoas major- apex and medial
part of rough anterior surface
 Iliacus – anterior surface of the
base and on the area below it
 Smooth posterior surface is
covered by a bursa that lies deep
to the upper horizontal fibers of
Adductor magnus

14. Intertrochanteric line:
• Marks the junction of the
anterior surface of the neck
with the shaft
• Prominent roughened ridge
• begins above at the antero-
superior angle of the greater
trochanter as a tubercle and
continuous below with the
spiral line in front of the lesser
trochanter
• Attachments:
Origin to
 highest fibers of vastus
lateralis from the upper end
 From the lower end, vastus
medialis

15. Intertrochanteric crest :
• Marks the junction between
posterior surface of the neck with
the shaft of the femur
• Smooth rounded ridge, begins above
at the postero-superior angle of
greater trochanter and ends at the
lesser trochanter
• Quadrate tubercle – rounded
elevation , a little above it’s middle
• Attachments:
Quadrate tubercle- Insertion to
quadratus femoris

16. • In the middle one third,
3 borders : Medial, lateral and
posterior
3 surfaces : Anterior, medial,
Lateral
• Borders:
Medial, Lateral borders – Ill-
defined
Posterior border- broad roughened
ridge: Linea aspera
• Surfaces:
Medial & Lateral surfaces- more
backwards than the sides

17. Linea Aspera (Rough line)
• 2 distinct lips- medial, lateral
• In the upper one-third,
Lips diverge to enclose an
additional posterior surface
Thus 4 borders: Lateral- Spiral Line,
Medial- Gluteal Tuberosity & 4
surfaces
• Lower one- third, 2 lips diverge
as supracondylar lines: enclose
an additional popliteal surface

18. Attachments to Linea Aspera &
shaft:
• Medial , popliteal surfaces- bare,
except that the popliteal surface
is encroached by the medial head
of gastrocnemius
• Gluteus maximus- Gluteal
tuberosity
• Plantaris – lower part of lateral
supracondylar line, upper part –
lateral head of gastrocnemius
• Popliteal surface- covered with
fat and forms the floor of
popliteal fossa

19. • Condyles- posteriorly separated
by a deep gap, intercondylar
fossa/ notch
• Posteriorly, project backwards
much beyond the plane of the
popliteal surface

20. Articular surface:
• 2 condyles are partially covered
by a large articular surface
• It is divisible into patellar and
tibial parts
• Patellar surface: covers anterior
surfaces and extend more on the
lateral than the medial condyle,
vertical groove between the
condyles
• Tibial surface: occupy the
inferior & posterior surfaces, part
on the medial condyle is longer
and convex medially
• Both surfaces are separated by 2
faint grooves

21. Lateral condyle:
• Flat laterally, more
in line with the
shaft
• Less prominent but
stouter and
stronger
• Greater part in
weight
transmission to the
tibia
• Most prominent
point- Lateral
epicondyle
• Just below the
epicondyle-
Popliteal groove
Medial condyle:
• Convex medially
• More prominent
• Prominence-
Lateral
epicondyle
• Posterosuperior
to the
epicondyle-
Adductor
tubercle(
landmark-
epiphyseal line
for lower end of
femur passes
through it)

22. Attachments:
• Popliteus- origin from the
popliteal groove
• Adductor tubercle- insertion
of Hamstring part of or ischial
head of Adductor magnus
M L

23. Intercondylar fossa:
• Separates lower &
posterior parts of the
condyles
• Extent:
Anteriorly- Patellar articular
surface
Posteriorly- intercondylar
line, separates notch from the
popliteal surface

24. Nutrient Artery to femur:
• Derived from 2nd perforating
artery
• If absent, derived from 1st &
3rd perforating arteries
• Nutrient foramen- medial to
linea aspera, directed upwards

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