The femur or thigh bone is the longest, most voluminous, and strongest bone of the human body. It forms part of the hip and part of the knee.
The word "femur" is Latin for "thigh". In medical Latin its genitive is always femoris, but in classical Latin its genitive is often feminis, and should not be confused with case forms of femina = "woman."
Posteriorly the gluteal tuberosity is a rough surface that gluteus maximus attaches to. Beneath this, the linea aspera runs down the back of the femur, which also provides an attachment for the biceps femoris muscle.
The medial and lateral condyles on the distal end, are bumps that fit into corresponding articular facets on the tibia. The gap between the two condyles is called the intercondylar fossa (or notch). Above the femoral condyles are the medial and lateral epicondyles, above the medial epicondyle is the adductor tubercle.
Fractures
Femur fractures are liable to cause permanent disability because the thigh muscles pull the fragments so they overlap, and the fragments re-unite wrongly. To avoid this, femur fracture patients should be put into traction to keep the fragments pulled into proper alignment.
