The thigh is a part of the body about which many people have not quite clear ideas. Many consider it, for example, the lateral region of the pelvis. And the thigh is, nevertheless, the part of the leg between the hip joint and the knee. We can imagine the structure and determine its functions by analyzing in detail the bone, muscle, nervous and circulatory structure of this part of the body.
What is a hip?
Hip (Latin femur) - the proximal component of the lower extremities of a person, located between the hip and knee joints. Its presence is also characteristic of other mammals, birds, insects.
The anatomy of the human thigh is as follows:
- It is limited from above by the inguinal ligament.
- Above and behind - gluteal ligament.
- Bottom - a line that can be drawn 5 cm above the patella.
To understand that this is a thigh, let's thoroughly analyze its structure.
Bone structure
There is only one bone at the base of the thigh - tubular or femur. An interesting fact: it is the longest and strongest in a person, approximately equal to 1/4 of his height. Her body is cylindrical, slightly curved anteriorly and expandingdown. The back surface is rough - this is necessary for muscle attachment.
The head of the bone with the articular surface is located on the proximal (upper) epiphysis. Its function is articulation with the acetabulum. The head is connected to the body of the femoral bone by the neck, which is clearly visible on the anatomical atlas. Where the latter passes into the body of the femur, two tubercles are visible, called the greater and lesser trochanters. The first can be easily felt under the skin. All of the above serve to attach muscles.
At the distal (lower) end, the femur bone passes into two condyles, one of which is lateral, the other is medial, and between them is the intercondylar fossa. The departments themselves have articular surfaces that help to articulate the femur with the tibia and patella. On its lateral parts, just above the condyles, there are epicondyles - also medial and lateral. The ligaments of the thigh are attached to them. That the condyles, that the epicondyles are easy to palpate under the skin.
Muscular structure
When considering the structure of the human thigh, one cannot ignore the muscles. It is she who helps to make rotational and flexion movements with this part of the body. Muscles envelop the femur from all sides, while dividing into the following groups:
- front;
- medial;
- rear.
We will analyze each in a separate subheading.
Anterior muscles
Let's look at the anterior muscle group.
| Name of muscles | Task | Beginning of muscle | Attachment |
|
Four-headed: wide intermediate, straight, wide medial, wide lateral. |
Extension of the hind limb at the knee joint. The rectus muscle has its own separate function - the bend in the hip joint of the limb to an angle of 90 degrees. |
Intermediate: intertrochanteric femoral line. Lateral: intertrochanteric vector, greater trochanter, lateral lip of broad femoral line. Medial: medial lip of the rough femoral line. Straight: supraacetabular sulcus, iliac anterior inferior spine. |
Tibular tubercles, medial part of the kneecap. |
| Tailor | Bend of the leg at the knee and hip joint, rotate the thigh outward and the lower leg inward. | Anterior superior iliac spine. | Tibular tubercles, woven into the tibial fascia. |
Move to the next big muscle group.
Medial muscles
Now let's pay attention to the medial group of the thigh muscles.
| Name of muscles | Task | Beginning of muscle | Attachment |
| Pestus muscle | Bending the limb at the hip joint with simultaneous adduction and outward rotation. | Top branchpubic bone, pubic crest. | The pectus muscle attaches to the top of the femur: between the rough surface and the back of the lesser trochanter. |
| Adductive large | Adduction, hip rotation, extension. | Inferior branch of the pubis, ischial tuberosity, branch of the ischium. | Rough part of tubular bone. |
| Adductive long | Adduction, flexion, outward rotation of the thigh. | Outer part of the pubic bone. | Media lip of rough thigh vector. |
| Adductive short | Adduction, outward rotation, hip flexion. | Outer bodily surface, lower branch of the pubic bone. | Rough vector thigh bone. |
| Thin |
Adduction of the abducted limb, participation in knee flexion. |
Inferior branch of the pubic bone, lower part of the pubic symphysis. | Tibular tubercles. |
And finally, let's get acquainted with the last muscle group of this part of the body.
Back muscles
Let's imagine the hamstring muscle group.
| Name of muscles | Task | Beginning of muscle | Attachment |
|
Biceps femoris: long and short head |
Knee flexion and hip extension, shine outward rotation with knee bent, in the case when the limb is fixed, inhip joint extends the trunk, acting in team with the gluteus maximus muscle. |
Long head of biceps femoris: iliosacral ligament, apex of medial surface of ischial tuberosity. Short head: superior side of lateral epicondyle, lateral lip of rough vector, intermuscular femoral lateral septum. |
The outer part of the lateral condyle of the tibia, the head of the fibula. |
| Semitendinosus | Knee flexion and hip extension, shine inward rotation with knee bent, extension of the trunk in the hip joint in cooperation with the gluteus maximus muscle with a fixed position of the leg. | Ischial tuberosity. | Upper side of the tibia. |
| Semimembranous | Ischial tuberosity. |
The tendons of this muscle diverge into three bundles: first attached to collateral tibial ligament, second - the formation of the popliteal oblique ligament, third - transition to the fascia of the popliteal muscles, attachment to the soleus muscle vector of the tibia. |
With the muscles, bones and joints of the thigh, that's it. Let's move on to the next section.
Vessels passing through the thigh
A lot of vessels pass through the thigh, each of which has its own task of nourishing any tissue. Consider the most important of them.
One of the main - iliacexternal artery passing through the medial edge, descending behind the inguinal ligament (abdominal region). Supplies blood to tissues through two branches:
- Front. Deep artery that goes around the ilium. Its task is both to nourish the bone itself and the muscle of the same name with blood.
- Lower. Passes medially inside the peritoneum. Function - blood circulation in the umbilical fold.
The pubic network of arteries, which forms the obturator network of vessels, is very important for the body. Damage to it can quickly lead to death, which is why this network is called the "crown of death." Nourishes the abdominal muscles, passes through the genitals.
It is impossible not to mention the femoral artery of the same name, which is considered a continuation of the external one. Its origin is in the front of the thigh. Further, it leads to the back of the popliteal fossa, gunter's canal. Divided into the following branches:
- Two thin outer ones going through the reproductive system. Nourishes the lymph nodes and adjacent tissue.
- The epigastric superficial branch that runs along the anterior abdominal wall to the navel, where it branches into smaller subcutaneous vessels.
- Superficial branch enveloping the ilium and intertwining with the superficial epigastric vessels.
Large deep branch. This is the most important artery here, feeding both the thigh and the foot and lower leg. In turn, it branches into the following vessels:
- Lateral, around the femur.
- Medial, wrapping around the vein of the thigh along the back surface. His threebranches: deep, transverse and ascending - carry blood to the hip joint, its muscles and neighboring tissues. Three perforating arteries: go around and feed the thigh bone, external musculature of the pelvis, skin integuments.
- Descending genicular artery. It consists of thin and long vessels that intertwine in the knee area.
Another important femoral artery is the popliteal artery. Consists of two plexuses - anterior and posterior tibial artery.
Nervous structure
The vast majority of nerve endings in the legs originate from the lumbar plexus. Therefore, if its integrity is violated, many complain about the muscles of the hip part, flexion knee functions. There are two main nerves of the thigh - deep and femoral. Then they branch along the lower limbs, forming their web, part of which will be, for example, the external cutaneous nerve of the thigh.
The femoral nerve passes through the back and outer part of the thigh, small pelvis. The obturator also follows through the pelvic area, but goes already to the inner femoral surface.
The sacral nerve plexus, which is formed under the piriformis muscle, is also important, also in the small pelvis. It descends through the gluteal crease to the back of the thigh, to then split into the tibial and peroneal nerves.
Diseases and pathologies
Pathologies of the femoral muscles, blood vessels, bones, and nerves are not at all rare. Some are already noticeable during the development of the fetus on the ultrasound - congenital amputation of this part of the body or its joints. Some can only be identified after birthbaby on x-ray. Among them, there is a slowdown in the development of ossification nuclei, dysplasia.
Diseases can also occur in people with normal hip anatomy due to infection, improper diet, insufficient or heavy load. We must not forget about injuries, tissue ruptures, hip bruises, fractures of the tubular bone.
Diagnosis and treatment
If you have injured the thigh area, you have a suspicion of the development of pathology, then you need to contact an orthopedic specialist. Diagnosis consists in examination, palpation, and then in analyzes and instrumental methods - X-ray, tomography, angiography, electromyography, etc.
Methods of treatment depend on the severity of the disease, the age of the patient, the nature of the pathology. At the beginning, the therapy is conservative - splint, gypsum, medicines, massage, physiotherapy, gymnastics. If this complex does not lead to a satisfactory result, the femoral joint is changed to an artificial one during surgery.
Interesting facts
At the end of the topic "What is a hip" let's get acquainted with interesting facts:
- The skin on the medial part of the thigh is thinner, more mobile and elastic than on the outside.
- The subcutaneous tissue in the thigh area is more developed in women than in men.
- Deposition of fat in the thighs and buttocks will help to avoid diabetes. The lipids located here produce leptin and adiponectin, which prevent the development of this disease and several others.
The thigh is one of the areas of the human body, the upper leg. Like all other areas of the body, it has a unique and complex structure.
