Longest Bone in Body
The longest bone in the human body is the thigh bone, otherwise known as the femur. Not only is the thigh bone the longest bone in the body, but it is also the strongest bone, as well. The femur extends in the leg from between the hip all the way to the knee. In essence, the thigh bone is the upper leg bone. The thigh bone is called the "femur" because "femur" is the Latin word for "thigh."
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Identification
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The thigh bone is, for adults, an average length of about 19 inches (48 centimeters) in length. It is usually about .92 inches (2.34 cm) in diameter as well. This strong bone can support up to thirty times an adult's body weight. The femur composes part of the knee as well as part of the hip.
Parts
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There are many different parts that compose the thigh bone. These parts include the medial epicondyle, medical condyle, lateral epicondyle, lateral condyle, groove for patella, shaft of femur, neck of femur, lesser trochanter, head of femur and the greater trochanter as well.
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Proximal Features
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There are various proximal features of the thigh bone. The lesser and great trochanters are both bony projections that help muscles connect. The gluteal tuberosity is a hard surface in which the gluteus maximus connects. Under this area, the linea aspera goes along the femurs back, which functions to connect the biceps femoris muscle.
Condyles
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On the distal end of the femur bone are both the lateral and medial condyles, which are raised bumps that fit into specific articular facets located on the tibia. The space located between the two condyles is known as the notch, or the intercondylar fossa. Over the femoral condyles are the lateral and medical epicondyles, and above the medial epicondyle resides the adductor tubercle..
Warning
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With the aging process, all of the bones in the human body become weakened and though the femur bone is extremely strong, it is still not an exception. With elderly women, a common condition is the fracturing of the neck of the femur, which commonly occurs as a result of the disease osteoporosis.
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