Salient Features About Femur

Salient Features About Femur
Femur: A Must Know Facts
• It is the longest and the strongest bone in the body.
• It is the heaviest bone.
• A person’s height is four times the length of femur.
• It has three parts: Proximal end, distal end and shaft.
• The shaft extends from the level of the lesser trochanter
to the flare of the condyles.
• The shaft is slightly bowed anteriorly and is narrowest
at the mid-shaft.
• The cross-section is circular.
• Linea aspera is the thick ridge of bone-situated midposterior.
• Muscle forces acting on the femur at different sites.
Proximal third: Iliopsoas flex, abductors abduct and
external rotators cause abduction and external rotation
of proximal fragment, while adductors adduct the distal
fragment.
Middle third: There is shortening and adduction.
Distal third: This is flexed due to the action of
gastroc-nemius muscle.
The blood supply to the shaft of femur is rich and
adequate and thus the fracture in this area usually unites
well.
The above muscular forces should be taken into
consideration while planning the treatment for fracture
shaft femur.