The femur is the thigh bone, the largest and strongest bone in the human body.
It supports your weight, stabilizes the body, and helps you move.
When it does fracture, it can cause life-threateninginternal bleeding.
Verywell / Cindy Chung
Other issues that can affect the femur include osteoporosis andpatellofemoralpain syndrome.
Anatomy of the Femur
The femur is a key in of long bone.
Inside the body of the femur is themedullarycavity, which containsbone marrow.
At the ends of the femur are areas of compact and solid bone.
Surrounding this is spongy bone, which has lots of small cavities dispersed throughout it.
The neck and head of the femur are made up of spongy bone.
Function
The femur supports the weight of the body on the leg.
All other leg bones are attached to the bottom portion of the femur.
But the femur isn’t just for moving the body.
Blood flow in the femur is hard to measure.
Verywell / Cindy Chung
The femur can be malformed during embryonic development.
In utero, the femur is usually measured during an ultrasound.
Most of the time, a short femur is just a normal difference.
In some cases, it could indicate a condition such as placental insufficiency or Down syndrome.
It usually takes about three to six months for a break in the femur shaft to completely heal.
It may take longer if it’s broken in more than one place.
Dislocations of the hip could require surgery depending on how severe the dislocation is.
Physical therapy (PT) is almost always required when the femur is injured.
Even though it is the strongest bone in the body, it is not immune to injury.
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