The femur is the thigh bone.

femur from front

The femur from the front, with the two rounded condyles at the lower end and the notch between them.

rounded condyles of femur

 

X-ray showing the rounded femoral condyles from the side, making contact with the flat plateau of the tibia underneath them.

 

The hip affects the knee and vice versa

Only the lower end of the femur forms part of the knee joint but, because the upper end of the femur forms part of the hip joint, hip problems can affect the knee and vice versa. In particular, twisting (torsion) of the shaft of the femur or abnormal angulation (anteversion) of the neck of the femur may cause gait problems associated with knee pain.

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Key components of the femur inside the knee joint

components of the femur in the knee joint

With the knee bent, the key components of the femur within the knee joint can be seen, and include -

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Synonyms: 
thighbone
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Dr Sheila Strover (Editor)
BSc (Hons), MB BCh, MBA

See biography...