Skip to main content

Classification of Functions of LCF


Version: 20240224

Introduction

On the biology, the common meaning of 'function' is that of role, effect, or transformation rule (1994MorenoA_Fern´andezJ). The function of ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) is still unknown (2009LampertC) and the ligament itself continues to bewilder and fascinate orthopaedic surgeons (2020Rosinsky_DombBG). The largest collections of opinions on the function of the LCF are contained in our works (2004Архипов-БалтийскийСВ; 2018,2023АрхиповСВ). The classification of the function of the LCF necessary to determine the directions for further study of this structure, the choice of goals and methods for its surgical recovery. The reconstruction of the LCF without restoring specific functions to solve a clearly defined clinical and biomechanical problem is nothing more than a cosmetic procedure.

The proposed classification based on experimental and clinical studies of the author, as well as because of an analysis of literary sources. All the selected functions of the LCF divided into four types - physical, biochemical, biological and informational (Tables 1-4). We proposed to divide functions into hierarchical units similar to the elements of the systematics of living organisms: phylum, class, order, family, genus, and specie. Each function is marked with a color indicating the highest level of evidence as of the current date. The sequence of levels is located on the “confidence scale” from the highest mark - “axiom” to the lowest mark - “error” (Table 5). With further study of the LCF, we plan to expand on the above above functions and clarify the levels of evidence used.

References

Moreno A, Umerez, J, Fern´andez J. Definition of life and research program in artificial life. Ludus Vitalis. 1994;2(3)15–33.

Lampert C. Läsionen des lig. capitis femoris: pathologie und therapie. Arthroskopie. 2009;22(4)293–8.

Rosinsky PJ, Shapira J, Lall AC, Domb BG. All About the Ligamentum Teres: From Biomechanical Role to Surgical Reconstruction. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2020; 28(8)e328–e39.

Архипов-Балтийский С.В. Рассуждение о морфомеханике. Норма. T.2. Калининград, 2004. [In Russ.]

Архипов С.В. Биомеханика пингвинов: заметки к вопросу о причинах ковыляющей походки и перспективах ее ремоделирования…, Т.5. Королев, 2018. [In Russ.]

Архипов С.В. Связка головки бедренной кости: функция и роль в патогенезе коксартроза; 2-ое изд., испр. и доп. Йоэнсуу: Издание Автора, 2023. [In Russ.] 

Physical functions of the LCF (Table 1) 

Elastic forces functions

 

Static functions

 

Damping functions:

 

- for the pelvis

 

- for the femur

 

Protective function:

 

- for the transit vessels (arterial, venous, lymphatic)

 

- for the nerves (r. post. n. obtur. and other nerves)

 

Local compression functions:

 

... of the femoral head:

 

- the cartilaginous part

 

- the bony part

 

...of the acetabulum:

 

- the cartilaginous part (model of the acetabulum)

 

- the bony part (lunate surface)

 

Dislocation functions

 

Synovial fluid mixing function

 

Synovial fluid distribution function

 

Mesenchyme separation function

 

Reaction force functions (horizontal, vertical, tangential)

 

Dynamic functions

 

Functions of restriction (braking):

 

... translational movements

 

... of femur:

 

- on the cranial direction

 

- on the lateral direction

 

- on the medial direction

 

- forward

 

- back

 

of pelvis:

 

- on the caudal direction

 

- on the medial direction

 

- on the lateral direction

 

- forward

 

- back

 

... rotational movements

 

... of femur

 

on the horizontal plane:

 

- pronation

 

- supination

 

… on the frontal plane:

 

... adduction

 

... abduction

 

... of pelvis

 

on the horizontal plane:

 

- turn forward

 

- turn back

 

on the frontal plane:

 

- medial tilt

 

Motion correction functions:

 

... of pelvis:

 

- lateral tilt with turning forward

 

- lateral tilt with turning back

 

- medial tilt with leaning forward

 

- medial tilt with leaning back

 

- turn forward after turn back

 

- turn back after turn forward

 

- lateral displacement after subluxation

 

- lateral displacement with adduction, pronation and supination

 

... of femur:

 

- increased adduction with flexion

 

- increased adduction with extension

 

- increased abduction with pronation

 

- increased abduction with supination

 

- medial displacement with adduction, pronation, and supination

 

- medial displacement with initial lateralization

 

- increased lateral displacement with abduction and flexion

 

Biomechanical functions:

 

Converting a hip into an analog of third-class lever

 

Shunting of the load of the horizontal part of the iliofemoral ligament

 

Shunting of the load of the abductor muscle group

 

Reducing the load on the pronators and supinators while walking

 

Reducing the load on the pronators and supinators while running

 

Reducing the load on the flexors and extensors while walking

 

Reducing the load on the flexors and extensors while running

 

Ensuring rhythmic walking

 

Ensuring rhythmic running

 

Ensuring gait symmetry

 

Ensuring running symmetry

 

Ensuring minimal body sway while walking

 

Determination of the maximum speed of pelvic rotation while walking

 

Determination of the maximum speed of pelvic rotation while running

 

Determination of the amplitude of the inclination and rotation of the pelvis while walking

 

Determination of the amplitude of the inclination and rotation of the pelvis while running

 

Determination of the maximum frequency of pelvic rotation

 

Determining the maximum step frequency

 

Determination of the maximum frequency of shoulder girdle rotation while walking

 

Determining of the maximum frequency of hand fluctuations

 

Determination of the trajectory of movement of the common center of mass of the body

 

Determination of the acceleration of movement of the common center of mass of the body

 

Converting potential energy into kinetic energy while walking

 

Converting potential energy into kinetic energy while running

 

Anti-gravity dynamic functions:

 

Support pelvic and body while walking


Support pelvic and body while running

 

Reducing body weight while walking (lifting force generation)

 

Reducing the vertical component of the reaction force while walking

 

Reducing the transverse component of the reaction force while walking

 

Tribological functions:

 

Influence on friction coefficient

 

Influence on the reaction force of the femoral head

 

Static functions

 

Stabilization functions:

 

- of pelvis in one-support orthostatic position

 

- of pelvis in two-support asymmetrical orthostatic position

 

- of femoral head in the acetabulum:

 

- macrostabilization (antiluxation)

 

- microstabilization (antisubluxation)

 

Anti-gravity static functions (suspension):

 

- of pelvis in one-support orthostatic position

 

- of pelvis in two-support asymmetrical orthostatic position

 

- of femur with flexion-adduction-supination (legs crossed sitting pose)

 

Conducting functions (bridge, tunnel):

 

- for transit vessels (arterial, venous, lymphatic)

 

- for nerves (rr. post. n. obtur., rr. musc. n. fem., n. glut. inf. …)

 

Functions of the femoral head connection to the:


- fossa acetabulum

 

- incisura acetabulum

 

- ligamentum transversum

 

- periosteum of the pelvis

 

- membrana obturatoria

 

Tensorogenic functions:

 

Influences on the distribution and magnitude of internal forces (stresses) in the:

 

- femoral head (below «+»; above «-»)

 

- acetabulum (below «+»; above «-»)

 

- external ligaments and joint capsule (shunt)

 

- transverse ligament of the acetabulum (spraining)

 

- abductor muscle group (shunt)

 

Influences on the shape, size and position (deformation, displacement):

 

- of femoral head

 

- of femoral neck

 

- of acetabulum

 

- of hip bone

 

- of pelvis

 

- of lumbosacral spine

 

Biochemical functions of the LCF (Table 2)

Functions of regulation of synovial fluid properties:


- volume


- fluidity


- osmotic pressure


- viscosity


- surface tension


- wetting


- density


- temperature


- gas pressure


Producing functions:

 

Water excretion


Production of organic components


Production of inorganic components


Gas excretion


Excretion of atypical chemicals


Absorption function:

 

Water absorption


Absorption of organic components


Absorption of inorganic


Absorption of atypical chemical compounds (e.g. drugs)


Gas absorption


Dissolution functions:

 

Dissolution of inorganic substances (urates, calcium dihydropyrophosphate, hydroxyapatite)


Dissolution of organic substances (fibrinolysis, emulsification of bone marrow fat)


Gas dissolution


Deposition functions:

 

Crystallization of inorganic substances (urates, calcium dihydropyrophosphate)


Protein denaturation


Demulsification of fat


Biological functions of the LCF (Table 3)

Adaptation functions:


Synovial fluid volume regulation


Synovial fluid composition regulation


Hip joint temperature regulation


Hip joint pressure regulation


Involvement in immune processes


Maintaining one-support orthostatic position and two-support asymmetrical orthostatic position


Device for locomotion


Resource allocation functions:


Power distribution


Material distribution


Synthetic functions:


Cytopoietic function (synoviocytes, histiocytes, lymphocytes, neutrophils, monocytes)


The formation of chondromic bodies (synovial chondromatosis)


The formation of synovial cysts


Sanitation functions (synovial fluid sanitation):


Destruction function (cells, fibers, bacteria, tissue detritus, pus, blood clots, bone, cartilage fragments)


Extraction function (removal of degradation products)


Hormonal functions of adipose tissue:


Hormone synthesis (leptin, angiotensin, estrogen, resistin, adipsin, adiponectin)


Enzyme synthesis (plasminogen, liporotein lipase)


Peptide synthetsis (cytokines, eicosanides)


Remodeling functions:


Synovial fluid remodeling


Remodeling of adipose tissue of the acetabulum


Remodeling of the ligamentous apparatus


Articular cartilage remodeling


Acetabular labral remodeling


Bone remodeling


Tendon remodeling of abductor muscles


Remodeling muscle tissue of abductor muscles


Shape-forming functions (morphogenesis, transformation):


The formation of the external ligaments of the hip joint


The formation of cartilage (labrum acetabulum, femoral head, cartilage model of the acetabulum)


The formation of hip bone and femur


The formation of adjacent joints (pubic symphysis, sacroiliac joint, knee)


The formation of the parts of the skeleton (pelvis, spine)


Trophic functions:


Cartilage nutrition


Blood supply of the femoral head


Transport functions:


Tissue transport


Blood circulation


Lymphatic circulation


Information functions of the LCF  (Table 4)

Conductive functions:


Afferent function


Efferent function


Receptor functions:


Mechanoreceptor functions:


Baroreceptor function


Vibroreceptor function


Tensoreceptor function


Thermoreceptor functions:


Cold-sensitive function


Heat-sensitive function


Chemoreceptor function


Sensitive functions:


Kinesthesia


Proprioception


Nociception


Immuno-information functions:


Cellular immune function


Humoral immune functions


Trigger function


Metronome function


Levels of evidence of functions of the LCF with their conventional names and symbols (Table 5)

Color and number designations of evidence levels

Names of evidence levels

1

Axiom

2

Research

3

Experiment

4

Observation

5

Calculation

6

Figure

7

Publication

8

Hypothesis

9

Error

Keywords: ligamentum capitis femoris, ligamentum teres, ligament of head of femur, role, function, hip joint, biomechanics

                                                                     

In translating to English, the author is assisted by ChatGPT (version 3.5) and the Google Translate service.


BLOG CONTENT

Set of Classifications

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

LCF in 2025 (March)

  LCF in 2025 ( March ):  Quotes from articles and books published in March 2025 mentioning the ligamentum capitis femoris.   Matsushita, Y., Sugiyama, H., Hayama, T., Sato, R., & Saito, M. (2025). Long-term Outcome of Pediatric Arthroscopic Surgery for Avulsion Fracture of the Ligamentum Teres: A Case Report. JBJS Case Connector ,  15 (1), e25.   [i]     journals.lww.com   Arkhipov, S. V. (2025). Inferior Portal for Hip Arthroscopy: A Pilot Experimental Study. Pt. 2. Inferior Portal Prototypes.  About Round Ligament of Femur . February 26, 2025.  [ii]   researchgate . net   Pfirrmann, C. W., & Kim, Y. J. (2025). Advanced Imaging. In  Surgical Hip Dislocation: A Comprehensive Approach to Modern Hip Surgery (pp. 29-42). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.  [iii]    link.springer.com   Singh, R., & Yadav, N. (2025). Morphometry and Morphology of the Fovea Capitis of the Femoral Head an...

1836-1840PartridgeR

  «Prof. Partridge in his lectures on anatomy at King's College was accustomed to compare the Ligamentum Teres, in its function, to the leathern straps by which the body of a carriage is suspended on springs » ( 1874SavoryWS ). Perhaps Nikolai Pirogov listened to these lectures ( 1859PirogoffN ).   The analogy that Richard Partridge used could have arisen after reading the monograph Bell J. The Principles of Surgery (1801) . In it, the author depicted a cart and a pelvis resting on the head of one and two femurs. However, there is no mention of ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) in the chart descriptions. References Savory WS. On the use of the ligamentum teres of the hip joint. J Anat Physiol. 1874;8(2)291-6.    [ ncbi.nlm.nih.gov  ,    archive.org ] Pirogoff N. Anatome topographica sectionibus per corpus humanum congelatum triplici directione ductus illustrate. Petropoli: Typis Jacobi Trey, 1859.   [ books.google  ,   archive.org ] ...

2000-1600bcBM29663

  Fragment of the text of clay tablet BM 29663 (Mesopotamia, 2000-1600 BC). In the list of body parts of a sheep, the author indicates ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF). See our commentary at the link: 2000-1600bcBM29663 [Rus]. Quote [Akk] Clay tablet BM 29663 (original source: photo - British Museum  britishmuseum.org , text - 2018CohenY , p. 134). Translation [Eng] List of Sheep Body Parts ( с lay tablet BM 29663, obverse) 10. ni-im-šu → nimšu, “sciatic nerve”, “sinew” . ( original source: 2018CohenY , p. 135). ( original source: British Museum  britishmuseum.org ,  CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)  External links Clay tablet; museum number 29663; registration number 1898,1115.49. Middle East, Old Babylonian period (2000-1600 BC). [ britishmuseum.org  ,  cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de ] Sigrist M, Zadok R, Walker C. Catalogue of the Babylonian tablets in the British Museum. Catalogue of the Babylonian tablets in the British Museum. London: British Museum Press, 2006. ...

2020ArkhipovSV_ProlyginaIV

  Ancient Textual Sources on Ligamentum Teres: Context and Transmission S.V. Arkhipov, I.V. Prolygina   KEYWORDS: ancient medicine; ancient traumatology; Galen; Hippocrates; hip joint; ligamentum capitis femoris; ligament of head of femur; ligamentum teres. SUMMARY Background. One of the least researched anatomical structures of the human body is the ligament of head of femur, most often referred to as ligamentum teres. The history of the nomination of this term, medical contexts of its use, the etymology and the first synonyms (Figure 1) are not sufficiently understood. Purpose. The purpose of the article is to present the most complete collection of evidence from ancient medical authors about the term ligamentum teres, trace the history of its nomination and analyze the gradual changes in the level of knowledge about the anatomy, mechanical and geometric properties of this structure, its pathology and treatment methods. Methods. The study is based on an inter...

FACEBOOK

  FACEBOOK (publications in the group LIGAMENTUM CAPITIS FEMORIS and this social network) A FACEBOOK section has been created (About publications in this social network). FACEBOOK GROUP  On creating a group.  OLDEST SYNONYMS  Post in Facebook groups. Planar models of the hip joint   Post in Facebook groups. The loading acting onthe femoral head   Post in Facebook groups. Visualization of the LCF by the medial approach   Post in Facebook groups. A FORCE THAT HELPS ROTATE THE PELVIS   Post in Facebook groups.  FIRST EXPERIMENTS ON A MECHANICAL MODEL   Post in Facebook groups. HIP JOINT MODEL WITH LCF ANALOGUE   Post in Facebook groups. EXTERNAL LIGAMENTS & LCF   Post in Facebook groups.  BIOMECHANICS OF THE HIP JOINT WITHOUT LCF   Post in Facebook groups. F. Pauwels vis-à-vis S. Arkhipov ☺   Post in Facebook groups.                           ...

A FORCE THAT HELPS ROTATE THE PELVIS

   A force that helps rotate the pelvis when walking. Modeling the key movement of the ligamentum capitis femoris when walking (the simplest but most visual experiments). See: https://kruglayasvyazka.blogspot.com/2024/05/blog-post_29.html #ligamentum_teres   #ligamentum_capitis_femoris   #hip   #biomechanics    Publication in the facebook group 03/24/2025.                                                                                                                     BLOG CONTENT NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS FACEBOOK

922-722bcElohist

  Excerpt from the book of Bereishit (Genesis), the lost biblical source Elohist, written in Paleo-Hebrew script. A variant of the oldest description of damage to the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) and the cause of lameness in Hebrew, dating from 922-722 BCE. See our commentary at the link: 922-722bcElohist [Rus]. Quote [ Paleo-Hebrew ] Elohist. Bereshit 32:32-33 (original source: 5784 Moshe Ben Amram, p. 41;  our correction) Translation [Eng] Elohist. Bereshit 32:32-33 and the sun riseth on him when he hath passed over Penuel, and he is halting on his thigh; therefore the sons of Israel do not eat the sinew which shrank, which is on the hollow of the thigh, unto this day, because He came against the hollow of Jacob's thigh, against the sinew which shrank.  (our correction-reconstruction of the version 1898 YoungR ( p. 23, Bereishit 32:32-33); preserved the text of the age of 922-722 BC belonging to the lost biblical source "Elohist") Moshe Ben Amram. Pentateuch in P...

INFERIOR PORTAL FOR HIP ARTHROSCOPY

  Combined PDF version of the article: Arkhipov SV. Arkhipov SV. Inferior Portal for Hip A rthroscopy: A Pilot Experimental Study. This page contains a photocopy of the publication. The links for downloading the PDF version and the addresses of the online versions are given below.  The original in Russian is available at the link: Нижний портал для артроскопии тазобедренного сустава . 

2008HeinerG

  Invention (Patent Application Publication): Heiner G. Implant as an intermediate layer between articulating joint surfaces. DE102007018341A1 (2008). [ translated from German ]   DE102007018341A1 Germany Inventor: Heiner Genrich Current Assignee: Individual Worldwide applications 2007 DE Application DE102007018341A events: 2007-04-13 Application filed by Individual 2007-04-13 Priority to DE102007018341A 2008-10-16 Publication of DE102007018341A1 Status: Ceased   Implant as an intermediate layer between articulating joint surfaces Heiner Genrich   Abstract A surgical implant is an interface between two articulated surfaces together forming a ball and socket joint. The articulation surface (1) and the facing bone surface (2) whose edge (13) is thinner than the centre section (15). The surface (2) matches that of the damaged bone surface. Description The The invention relates to an implant as intermediate between articulating articular surfaces, wherein the intermed...

Online Journal «ABOUT ROUND LIGAMENT OF FEMUR», March 2025

  The publication is dedicated to the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) and related topics.   About the Journal »»»                                                                                . The online journal  « About Round Ligament of  Femur »   was created based on the scientific blog of the same name. The resource is the English-language part of the project:  ONLINE JOURNAL:  Ligamentum capitis femoris . Updates:  As new materials are prepared. Purpose:  Popularization and preservation of knowledge about LCF, as well as promoting its practical application. Main goal:  Improvement of diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of injuries and diseases of the hip joint. Publisher: Arkhipov S.V., independent researcher, PhD, ortho...