Femur

Looks like

The longest and strongest bone, about a quarter of your height, from hip ball to knee.

What it does

Carries the whole body's weight and anchors the biggest muscles.

Keeping it well

Strength and balance work, vitamin D and calcium; a hip fracture after 70 is a life-changing injury.

Its parts

• Greater trochanter
• Right femur
• Left femur

Related conditions

• Achondroplasia
• Acromegaly
• Avascular necrosis (osteonecrosis)
• Bone metastases and spinal cord compression
• Chronic venous insufficiency
• Fractures
• Fragility fracture
• Frailty & falls in older age
• Growing pains
• Hyperparathyroidism
• Lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis)
• Lymphoedema
• Osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease)
• Osteomalacia & rickets
• Osteomyelitis (bone infection)
• Osteoporosis
• Paget's disease of bone
• Perthes disease
• Restless legs syndrome
• Sarcoma
• Slipped capital femoral epiphysis
• Varicose veins
• Vitamin B1, C and other deficiencies
• Vitamin D deficiency