The femoral groove is the concave region at the lower end of the femur.

Page updated January 2024 by Dr Sheila Strover (Clinical Editor)

femoral groove or trochlear groove
The femoral groove is more commonly called the trochlear groove.

 

Relationship of patella to trochlear groove

The groove helps to keep the patella within its walls as the knee bends and straightens, so that the patella does not sublux or dislocate.

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Trochlear dysplasia

In some people the groove may be abnormally flat at the upper end, or may even be a bump rather than a groove, making it easy for the patella to jump up and out of this constraint - subluxation or dislocation.

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Peer-reviewed papers

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Synonyms: 
trochlea
trochlear groove
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Dr Sheila Strover (Editor)
BSc (Hons), MB BCh, MBA

See biography...