As an anatomical unit, the human thigh consists of the femur and its surrounding muscles, tendons, nerves, and blood vessels. The thigh bone, femur, forms the bony foundation of the thigh.
What are the thighs?
The thigh is a part of the lower extremity and forms it as a proximal section together with the lower leg. With the lower leg, the thigh is in direct connection through the knee joint. Via the hip joint, the thigh connects the pelvis and thus the trunk. The thigh bone, femur, is the point of attachment and origin for a whole series of muscles. Lower leg muscles or hip muscles originate directly from the bone of the thigh. However, the thigh muscles form the actual fleshy mass of the thigh. The muscles of the thigh are divided into 3 main groups: extensors, flexors and adductors. In medical literature, the thigh adductors are often included in the hip musculature. Throughout the thigh are conduits for blood vessels such as arteries and veins, as well as nerves. The pathway of the largest nerve in the human body, the sciatic nerve, also passes through the thigh.
Anatomy and structure
Topography and structure of the thigh result from their respective anatomical boundaries. Anteriorly, the femur is bounded by the groin, and posteriorly by the so-called gluteal furrow. Distally, the femur ends about 5 centimeters above the kneecap, patella. The shape of the entire femur is defined almost exclusively by its musculature. Anatomically, the front of the thigh is called the regio femoris anterior. The so-called thigh triangle, trigonum femoris, is also located there. Regio femoris posterior refers to the back of the thigh. Although femur is only the anatomical name for the thigh bone, in everyday medical usage it is used to refer to the entire thigh including muscles and vascular conduits. Another Latin name for the femur that is not commonly used is stylopodium.
Function and tasks
The femur is the largest bone in the human skeleton. Anatomically, the femur is a long bone, just like the tibia and fibula of the lower leg. Tubular bones always consist of the compacta, a hard mantle, and the cancellous bone, a soft cavity filled with blood cells. Together with the acetabulum of the pelvis, the femoral head forms the large hip joint. Anatomically, it is a so-called ball and socket joint. The femoral head of the femur is in turn connected to the neck of the femur. The formation of the knee and hip joint is therefore the actual task and function of the femur. The knee joint is formed by the condyles of the femur. Upright standing or locomotion in steps would not be possible without the anatomical unit of bones, joints and conduction pathways of the femur. The femur is the only bone of the thigh. Due to its extremely stable load-bearing capacity, the femur must transfer the entire body force from the pelvis to the lower extremity. In an anatomically correct position, the femoral neck in an adult is at approximately 127 degrees to the femoral shaft.
Diseases and complaints
The most important diseases, dysfunctions or limitations result from the anatomical structure and the daily heavy stress on the femur especially when standing or walking. In the very first place, the thigh is therefore affected by wear and tear diseases, which can occur more frequently with increasing age. Congenital deformities such as hip dysplasia also lead to signs of wear at an early stage. The most common is osteoarthritis of the knee joint, gonarthrosis followed by osteoarthritis of the hip joint, coxarthrosis. Depending on the degree of severity, both diseases can be associated with painful movement restrictions up to complete immobility. The arthritic changes in the bony parts and the articular cartilage lead to muscular imbalances, often with chronic, painful muscle hardening. When all conservative therapeutic approaches have been exhausted, artificial joint replacement is often the only option.In older patients, bone density continues to decrease, which is why a fracture between the femoral head and femoral neck can occur even with comparatively light loads. In the vast majority of cases, this so-called femoral neck fracture must be treated surgically. The healing process is often protracted and fraught with complications. The so-called supracondylar femur fracture also typically occurs in older age. These are fractures above the joint rolls, and surgical treatment is almost always required in these cases as well. Diseases of the muscles of the thigh are rare in everyday medical practice. Like all large muscle groups, painful myalgias, inflammations or benign and malignant tumors can occur in the entire thigh musculature. Also rare is a true femoral shaft fracture. Such a fracture of the femur is only possible with the greatest use of force. The most common cause of femoral shaft fractures is traffic accidents involving brief but severe mechanical impact.
