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The linea aspera () is a ridge of roughened surface on the posterior surface of the shaft of the
femur The femur (; : femurs or femora ), or thigh bone is the only long bone, bone in the thigh — the region of the lower limb between the hip and the knee. In many quadrupeds, four-legged animals the femur is the upper bone of the hindleg. The Femo ...
. It is the site of attachments of
muscle Muscle is a soft tissue, one of the four basic types of animal tissue. There are three types of muscle tissue in vertebrates: skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, and smooth muscle. Muscle tissue gives skeletal muscles the ability to muscle contra ...
s and the intermuscular
septum In biology, a septum (Latin language, Latin for ''something that encloses''; septa) is a wall, dividing a Body cavity, cavity or structure into smaller ones. A cavity or structure divided in this way may be referred to as septate. Examples Hum ...
. Its margins diverge above and below. The linea aspera is a prominent longitudinal ridge or crest, on the middle third of the bone, presenting a medial and a lateral lip, and a narrow rough, intermediate line. It is an important insertion point for the adductors and the
lateral Lateral is a geometric term of location which may also refer to: Biology and healthcare * Lateral (anatomy), a term of location meaning "towards the side" * Lateral cricoarytenoid muscle, an intrinsic muscle of the larynx * Lateral release ( ...
and medial intermuscular septa that divides the thigh into three compartments. The tension generated by muscle attached to the bones is responsible for the formation of the ridges.


Structure


Above

Above, the linea aspera is prolonged by three ridges. * The lateral ridge is very rough, and runs almost vertically upward to the base of the greater trochanter. It is termed the gluteal tuberosity, and gives attachment to part of the gluteus maximus: its upper part is often elongated into a roughened crest, on which a more or less well-marked, rounded tubercle, the third trochanter, is occasionally developed. * The intermediate ridge or pectineal line is continued to the base of the lesser trochanter and gives attachment to the pectineus muscle; * the medial ridge is lost in the intertrochanteric crest; between the intermediate and medial ridges a portion of the iliacus muscle is inserted.


Below

Below, the linea aspera is prolonged into two ridges, enclosing between them a triangular area, the ''popliteal surface'', upon which the popliteal artery rests. * Of these two ridges, the lateral is the more prominent, and descends to the summit of the lateral condyle. * The medial is less marked, especially at its upper part, where it is crossed by the femoral artery. It ends below at the summit of the medial condyle, in a small tubercle, the adductor tubercle, which affords insertion to the tendon of the
adductor magnus The adductor magnus is a large triangular muscle, situated on the medial side of the thigh. It consists of two parts. The portion which arises from the ischiopubic ramus (a small part of the inferior ramus of the pubis, and the inferior ramu ...
.


Development

The tension generated by muscle attached to the bones is responsible for the formation of the ridges.


Function

A number of muscles attach to the linea aspera: * From the ''medial lip'' of the linea aspera and its prolongations above and below, the vastus medialis muscle originates. * From the ''lateral lip'' and its upward prolongation, the vastus lateralis muscle takes origin. * The adductor magnus muscle is inserted ''into the linea aspera'', and to its lateral prolongation above, and its medial prolongation below. * ''Between the vastus lateralis and the adductor magnus'' two muscles are ''attached'': ** the gluteus maximus muscle inserted above, ** and the short head of the biceps femoris muscle originating below. * ''Between the adductor magnus and the vastus medialis'' four muscles are ''inserted'': ** the iliacus muscle and pectineus muscle above; ** the
adductor brevis muscle The adductor brevis is a muscle in the thigh situated immediately deep to the pectineus and adductor longus. It belongs to the adductor muscle group. The main function of the adductor brevis is to pull the thigh medially. The adductor brevi ...
and
adductor longus muscle In the human body, the adductor longus is a skeletal muscle located in the thigh. One of the adductor muscles of the hip, its main function is to adduct the thigh and it is innervated by the obturator nerve. It forms the medial wall of the ...
below. The linea aspera is perforated a little below its center by the nutrient canal, which is directed obliquely upward.


Additional images

File:Gray432 color.png, Cross-section through the middle of the thigh.


References


External links


University of Washington


{{Authority control Bones of the lower limb Femur