anatomy of femur

Femur

• Long bone of the thigh

• Longest and strongest bone in the body

• Located between the pelvis and knee joint

• Two femora-right and left

head of femur

• Rounded and is slightly more than a hemisphere

• Articulates with the acetabulum at

   the hip joint

• Just below the centre of the head is a small rounded pit called the ‘fovea’

• The ligament of the head of the femur is attached to the fovea

Fovea

• Seen in proximal view, a small cavity on head

• provides attachment for ligament for head of femur

• attaches to acetabulum of pelvis and helps stabilise hip joint

neck of femur

• Approximately 5cm long and connects the head with the shaft

• It meets the shaft at an angle of about 125°

• The junction of anterior surface of the neck with the shaft is marked by the ‘intertrochanteric line’

• The junction of posterior surface of the neck with the shaft is marked by the ‘intertrochanteric crest’

upper end - greater trochanter

• Large quadrilateral projection arising from lateral angle of the junction of the neck with the shaft. It gives attachment to the gluteus and piriformis muscles.

• On the medial surface of the greater trochanter is the trochanteric fossa. It gives attachment to the tendon of the obturator externus muscle.

upper end - lesser trochanter

A conical process projecting backwards and medially from the junction of the lower posterior part of the neck with the shaft.

It gives attachment to the psoas muscle.

shaft

• The shaft is convex forwards and laterally

• The middle is the thinnest roughly triangular in cross section

• It widens slightly in the upper part and expands considerably towards the lower end

• The anterior surface is smooth and rounded

• Posteriorly, the middle third of the shaft is bears a rough line called the linea aspera. It gives attachment to the adductor magnus and vastus medialis and lateralis muscles.

• The linea aspera ends above by dividing into the gluteal tuberosity laterally, and the spiral line medially. Gluteal tuberosity gives attachment to gluteus maximus. Spiral line gives attachment to iliacus muscle.

• Inferiorly, the linea aspera divides into the medial and lateral supracondylar lines.

parts of the lower end

• Medial condyle

• Lateral condyle

• Medial epicondyle

• Lateral epicondyle

• Adductor tubercle

• Articular surface for patella

• Intercondylar notch

• Popliteal fossa

• Articular surfaces for tibia

lower end of femur

• Lower end is composed of two projections called medial and lateral condyles

• Above the condyles are projections called the medial and lateral epicondyles

• Above the medial epicondyle is the adductor tubercle

• The area between the condyles on the anterior surface is called the patellar articular surface

• Lower end is composed of two projections called medial and lateral condyles

• Above the condyles are projections called the medial and lateral epicondyles

• Above the medial epicondyle is the adductor tubercle

• The area between the condyles on the anterior surface is called the patellar articular surface

intercondylar notch

separates condyles posteriorly

popliteal fossa

area between condyles on posterior surface

• The posterior and inferior surfaces of the condyles are smooth and articulate with the tibia.

• The medial condyle projects farther downwards than the lateral condyle.

ossification

• Ossifies from 1 primary and 4 secondary centres:

• Shaft: appears in 7^th week intrauterine life (primary centre). The neck ossifies as an extension of the shaft

• Condyles: ossifies from one centre which appears during the 9^th month of pregnancy

• Head: appears during 1^st six months after birth

• Greater trochanter: appears during 4^th year of life

• Lesser trochanter: appears

    during 13^th or 14^th year of life

• Centres for trochanters fuse with the shaft soon after puberty

• Centres for the head and lower end fuse with the shaft between the 17^th and 20^th year of life

fractures

Differing types of femoral shaft #s: transverse (horizontal), oblique (diagonal), spiral (candy cane like), comminuted (bone broken into 3+ pieces)

Open #: deep wound exposes the bone through the skin.