The thigh (from Latin coxa, hip) corresponds to the part of the lower limb located between the hip and the knee.

Thigh skeleton. The thigh is made up of a single bone: the elongated femur (1). The upper, or proximal, end of the femur articulates with the hip bone to form the hip. The lower, or distal, end articulates with the tibia, fibula (or fibula), and patella to form the knee.

Thigh muscles. The thigh is made up of three muscle compartments (2):

• The anterior compartment, located in front of the femur, is made up of the sartorius and the quadriceps.
• The posterior compartment, located at the back of the femur, is made up of the hamstring muscles which are the semi-tendinous, semi-membranous and biceps femoris.
• The internal compartment contains the pectineum, the gracilius and the adductor muscles which are the adductor longus, the adductor brevis and the adductor magnus.

Vascularization. The vascularization of the thigh is provided by the femoral artery.

Innervation. The muscles of the anterior and posterior compartments are respectively innervated by the femoral nerve and the sciatic nerve. The muscles of the internal compartment are mainly innervated by the obturator nerve, but also by the sciatic and femoral nerves (2).

Weight transmission. The thigh, especially through the femur, transmits the weight of the body from the hip bone to the tibia. (3)

Body dynamics. The muscles and joints of the thigh at the level of the hip and the knee participate in the capacity of the organism to move and to maintain the station upright. Indeed, the muscles of the thigh allow in particular the movements of flexion, extension, rotation, adduction of the thigh and also on certain movements of the leg (2).

Thigh pain felt in the thigh can have different origins.

• Bone lesions. Severe pain in the thigh may be due to a fractured femur.
• Bone pathologies. Thigh pain may be due to a bone disease such as osteoporosis.
• Muscular pathologies. The thigh muscles may be subject to pain without injury such as cramping or sustaining muscle injury such as straining or straining. In the muscles, the tendons can also cause pain in the thigh, especially during tendinopathies such as tendonitis.
• Vascular pathologies. In case of venous insufficiency in the thigh, a feeling of heavy legs may be felt. It is manifested in particular by tingling, tingling and numbness. The causes of heavy leg symptoms are varied. In some cases, other symptoms may appear such as varicose veins due to dilation of the veins or phlebitis due to the formation of blood clots.
• Nerve pathologies. The thighs can also be the site of nervous pathologies such as, for example, sciatic neuralgia. Due to damage to the sciatic nerve, this is manifested by intense pain felt along the thigh.

Drug treatments. Depending on the pathology diagnosed, different treatments may be prescribed to reduce pain and inflammation as well as to strengthen bone tissue.

Symptomatic treatment. In the case of vascular pathologies, elastic compression may be prescribed to reduce the dilation of the veins.

Surgical treatment. Depending on the type of pathology diagnosed, surgery may be performed.

Orthopedic treatment. Depending on the type of fracture, the installation of a plaster or a resin can be carried out.

Physical treatment. Physical therapies, through specific exercise programs, can be prescribed such as physiotherapy or physiotherapy.

Physical examination. First, a clinical examination is performed in order to observe and assess the symptoms perceived by the patient.

Medical analysis. In order to identify certain pathologies, blood or urine analyzes can be carried out such as, for example, the dosage of phosphorus or calcium.

Medical imaging examination. X-ray, CT or MRI scintigraphy examinations, or even bone densitometry for bone pathologies, can be used to confirm or deepen the diagnosis.

Doppler ultrasound. This specific ultrasound makes it possible to observe the blood flow.

The sartorius, gracilis and semi-tendinous muscles are also called “crow’s feet muscles”. This name is linked to the insertion of the tendons of these muscles at the level of the tibia, giving a shape similar to a crow’s feet (4).