Longest Bone Femur Upper Leg Above Knee

Femur bone is the longest bone in the human body. It is also called the thighbone. The word femur is the Latin term for thigh, which has been derived from another Latin word femoris. Apart from being the largest bone in the body, it is also the most voluminous and strongest bone of the human body. The femur constitutes the upper leg, i.e. the part of the leg above the knee.

The longest bone in the human body, which is the femur bone, is around 48 centimeters long and 2.34 cm in diameter. The head of femur articulates with the pelvis to form the hip joint. If this joint deteriorates then it can be corrected only by hip replacement. Below the head is the neck of femur. The large bulge high at the base of the neck is called the greater trochanter, the small bulge lower down on the opposite side is the lesser trochanter.

Femur bone takes the longest time to heal of all the bones in the skeleton. The longest bone if subjected to fractures can be really drastic and may even cause permanent disability. This might happen if the fragments reunite incorrectly. In order to avoid this patient should be put into traction for several weeks or may be even months depending on the volume of the injury. With the modern medicinal surgeries femur fracture patients can recover fully within a span of 3-6 months.

Femur bone must withstand great weight and pressure. The shaft of this longest bone is shaped like a hollow cylinder - an excellent design, as any engineer knows, for maximum strength with a minimum of material. Because of this special construction, the thighbone can take enormous pressures, depending upon the weight of the person and the activity at the moment. It can support up to 30 times the weight of an adult.

Bones constitutes the toughest part or organ of a human body. A human body without bones is likely to be a loath of flesh. Imagine a body will without bones be just like a beanbag without any structure. The longest bone, which is located in the thigh region, supports the upper part of the body including the strengthening of the lower part. Femur