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Femur: anatomy, landmarks and muscle attachments

The femur is the thigh bone, the longest and strongest bone in the body. Learn its head, neck, greater and lesser trochanters, linea aspera and condyles, its joints and the muscles that attach to it.

By the Anatomy Atlas 3D team · Updated · 2 min read

Quick answer

Latin name
Femur
Type
Long bone
Location
Thigh, from the hip to the knee
Joints
Hip joint with the hip bone; knee joint with the tibia and the patella
Main landmarks
Head, neck, greater and lesser trochanters, intertrochanteric line and crest, gluteal tuberosity, linea aspera, medial and lateral condyles and epicondyles, intercondylar fossa, patellar surface
Femur in 3D, rendered in Anatomy Atlas 3D
Femur, rendered in Anatomy Atlas 3D. Rotate it in the app.

The femur is the bone of the thigh: the longest, heaviest and strongest bone of the human body. It carries the weight of the body from the hip to the knee.

Upper end

  • The round head fits deeply into the acetabulum of the hip bone, a much more stable joint than the shoulder.
  • The neck angles the shaft away from the pelvis. It's the classic site of hip fractures in older adults.
  • The greater trochanter, on the outside, receives the gluteus medius and minimus and the deep lateral rotators. You can feel it on the side of the hip.
  • The lesser trochanter, on the back and inner side, receives the iliopsoas, the main hip flexor.

Shaft

  • The shaft bows slightly forward.
  • On its back, the linea aspera is a long ridge where the adductors, the vasti and the short head of biceps femoris attach.
  • Higher up, the gluteal tuberosity receives part of the gluteus maximus.

Lower end

  • The medial and lateral condyles rest on the tibia to form the knee joint. The heads of the gastrocnemius start just above them.
  • The patellar surface in front is where the kneecap glides.
  • Between the condyles at the back, the intercondylar fossa houses the cruciate ligaments.

Frequently asked questions

Is the femur the longest bone in the body?

Yes, and also the strongest.

What attaches to the greater trochanter?

Mainly the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus, plus several deep lateral rotators of the hip.

What is the linea aspera?

A long ridge on the back of the femoral shaft where many thigh muscles attach.

Sources

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Keep reading

Bone Hip bone: anatomy, landmarks and muscle attachments Ilium, ischium and pubis fused into one bone, with the hip socket. Bone Tibia: anatomy, landmarks and muscle attachments The shin bone: the weight-bearing bone of the leg. Muscle Gluteus maximus: origin, insertion, action and innervation The largest muscle of the hip, for climbing, rising and running. Muscle Rectus femoris: origin, insertion, action and innervation The only quadriceps muscle that crosses the hip as well as the knee.