Thigh

Thigh

Thigh (/θaɪ/; from Old English þēoh, þēh, þīeh; akin to Old High German dioh thigh, Latin femur thigh, upper leg) is the area between the hip and the knee. Anatomically, it is part of the lower limb.

The thigh is comprised of one single bone, the femur, which is the largest bone in the human body. The femur is surrounded by various muscle groups that provide movement and stability. These include the quadriceps, hamstrings, and adductors.

Anatomy

The thigh is divided into three compartments: anterior, medial, and posterior.

The anterior compartment is primarily made up of the quadriceps femoris muscle, which is responsible for extending the knee. The femoral nerve innervates these muscles.

The medial compartment contains the adductor muscles, which are responsible for adducting the hip. These muscles are innervated by the obturator nerve.

The posterior compartment contains the hamstring muscles, which are responsible for flexing the knee and extending the hip. These muscles are innervated by the sciatic nerve.

Clinical significance

Injuries to the thigh can impact mobility and include fractures of the femur, muscle strains, and contusions. Conditions such as meralgia paraesthetica can cause pain and numbness in the thigh.

Related terms

• Femur
• Quadriceps femoris
• Hamstrings
• Adductor muscles
• Femoral nerve
• Obturator nerve
• Sciatic nerve
• Meralgia paraesthetica

See also

• Lower limb
• Hip
• Knee
• Muscles of the lower limb

References

External links

• Medical encyclopedia article on Thigh
• Wikipedia's article - Thigh

This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.

---

Languages: - East Asian 中文, 日本, 한국어, South Asian हिन्दी, Urdu, বাংলা, తెలుగు, தமிழ், ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, မြန်မာဘာသာ, European español, Deutsch, français, русский, português do Brasil, Italian, polski