Bone
Femur
Long thigh bone carrying load between hip and knee
High-yield
Much of the adult femoral head's blood supply reaches it through vessels running along the neck, especially branches of the medial circumflex femoral artery. Neck injury can therefore threaten the head as well as the fracture site.
Overview
The femur links a rounded head at the hip to broad condyles at the knee. Its neck, trochanters and ridges provide attachment sites that let surrounding muscles move the limb and stabilize these joints.
Reference facts
- Bone type
- Long bone of the thigh
- Key landmarks
- Head and fovea; neck; greater and lesser trochanters; intertrochanteric line and crest; gluteal tuberosity and linea aspera; condyles, epicondyles, adductor tubercle and intercondylar fossa
- Articulations
- Acetabulum at the hip; tibia and patella at the knee
Clinical correlation
Displaced fractures within the hip capsule can interrupt vessels supplying the femoral head and lead to osteonecrosis. Fractures outside the capsule generally carry less of this particular vascular risk, but still cause serious injury.
Frequently asked questions
What type of bone is the femur?
The femur is a long bone of the thigh bone.
What does the femur articulate with?
Acetabulum at the hip; tibia and patella at the knee.
What are the key landmarks of the femur?
Head and fovea; neck; greater and lesser trochanters; intertrochanteric line and crest; gluteal tuberosity and linea aspera; condyles, epicondyles, adductor tubercle and intercondylar fossa.