Skip to main content

1863HenkeW

 

In selected excerpts, the author describes the anatomy and topography of the LCF. Wilhelm von Henke observed tension in the LCF during hip supination. It is also noted that the strength of the LCF can vary and sometimes be quite significant. Additionally, the author highlights the involvement of hip joint ligaments in maintaining a «relaxed» posture.

The translation from German was done in collaboration with ChatGPT 3.5. 

Henke W. Handbuch der Anatomie und Mechanik der Gelenke: mit Rücksicht auf Luxationen und Contracturen. Leipzig, Heidelberg: C.F. Winter, 1863. [fragments]

Quote p. 202

Auch dieser Rand von überknorpelter knöcherner Pfanne hat eine grosse Lücke in seinem unteren Theile. Hier spannt sich ein Theil des Labrum als Lig. transversum acetabuli herüber und unter dieser Brücke durch öffnet sich die Lücke zwischen dem Gelenkkopfe und dem mittleren Theil der Pfanne, welcher ihm nicht genau anschliesst. Dieselbe ist erfüllt von einem lockeren fetthaltigen Polster an der Pfanne aufsitzender Synovialbekleidung und enthält ausserdem des Lig. teres, das über dem Loch zwischen Lig. transversum und Pfanne an diesen beiden breit, und an einer kleinen Lücke des Knorpelüberzugs in der Mitte des Gelenkkopfes zusammengedrängt ansitzt, sodass es, jenachdem diese Stelle ihre Lage über der mittleren Vertiefung der Pfanne wechselt, sich in verschiedenen Richtungen in das Fettpolster des letzteren eindrückt. Durch seinen Ursprung über dem Eingang in die Lücke des Contactes der Gelenkflächen und seine festere Zusammenschliessung gegen die Befestigung am Gelenkkopfe hin, verwahrt es die erstere schon ziemlich vollständig.

Also, this edge of the cartilage-covered bony socket has a large gap in its lower part. Here, a portion of the acetabular labrum extends across it in a transverse direction as the transverse ligament of the acetabulum, and under this bridge, a gap opens between the joint head and the middle part of the socket, which does not fully adhere to it. It is filled with soft fatty pad material lying in the socket, covered with a synovial inner layer, as well as lig. teres, which is located between the transverse ligament and the socket, and also in a small gap in the cartilaginous covering in the middle of the articular head, so that, depending on how this place moves over the middle part of the socket, it is pressed in different directions into the fat pad. When the articular surfaces come into contact, due to its origin above the entrance to the gap and a stronger connection with the articular head, it reliably protects the latter.

 

Quote p. 205

Etwa im Scheitel des Gelenkkopfes ist der Knorpelüberzug desselben durch die Lücke unterbrochen, in welcher sich der glatte gefässhaltige Strang des Lig. teres inserirt, welcher sonst frei und glatt zwischen ihm und der Pfanne liegt (S. o. S. 202. Fig. 46).

Approximately at the apex of the joint head, the cartilage covering of the joint head is interrupted by the gap in which the smooth vascular strand of the ligament teres is inserted, which otherwise lies free and smooth between it and the socket (see above p. 202. Fig. 46).

 


Quote p. 206

Ausserdem muss auch die Stelle des Gelenkkopfes, an welcher das Lig. teres angeheftet ist, immer über der Lücke des Pfannengrundes bleiben, da sich sonst das Band zwischen die Gelenkflächen einklemmen müsste, während es sich in den lockeren Synovialfalten, welche die Lücke erfüllen, bei allen Lagen seiner Insertion über denselben hin und her eindrücken kann. Es kommt aber fast nie zu wirklicher Spannung.

In addition, the place on the articular head where the lig. teres, must always be above the gap above the bottom of the socket, since otherwise the ligament could be pinched between the articular surfaces, while in the free synovial folds that fill this cavity, it can freely move back and forth in any position of its attachment point. However, there is almost never any real tension.

Quote p. 208

Das Lig. teres verhält sich zur Beugung und Streckung vollkommen indifferent, da die Achse derselben seinen Verlauf in der Pfannenlücke, von beiden Anheftungsstellen nicht weit entfernt schneidet.

The lig. teres is completely indifferent to flexion and extension, as its axis intersects the cavity of the acetabulum not far from both points of attachment. 

Quote p. 210

Das Lig. teres kann gespannt werden, wenn sein Ansatz am Gelenkkopfe stark nach oben bewegt, also wenn dieser um eine von hinten nach vorn verlaufende Achse mit medialen Punkten nach oben gedreht wird. Dies ist der Fall bei Adduction in gestreckter, und bei Rotation nach der Seite in gebeugter Lage. Erstere wird bereits anderweitig gehemmt, ehe es zur Spannung des Lig. teres kommt. Für letztere kann dieselbe abschliessend wirken. Wenn man z. B. den einen Fuss auf das andere Knie legt, so kann der erhobene Oberschenkel nicht herabsinken und zwar nur deshalb, weil er dann zugleich, wenn der Fuss oben bleiben soll, noch weiter um seinen Längsdurchmesser gedreht werden müsste; dies hindert das Lig. teres, denn übrigens schwebt das erhobene Knie frei in der Luft. Es federt aber zurück, wenn man es niederdrückt.

The lig. teres can be stretched when its origin on the joint head is significantly raised upwards, that is, when it rotates upwards and towards the midline around an axis oriented from back to front. This occurs during adduction in the extended position and external rotation in the flexed position. The former is inhibited by other means before tension on the lig. teres occurs. For the latter, it can be an isolated effect. For instance, if one leg is placed on the other knee, the raised thigh bone will not lower down only because it would need to be further rotated around its longitudinal axis if the leg is to stay up; this is prevented by the lig. teres, as the raised knee hangs freely in the air. However, it springs back when pressed down upon.

Quote p. 211

Dass das Lig. teres bei Adduction nicht zur Spannung kommt, weil dieselbe anderweitig gehemmt wird, ehe es geschehen würde, hat Henle durch eine Oeffnung der Pfanne von der Beckenseite her beobachtet. Ich habe denselben Weg eingeschlagen und die Spannung des Bandes bei der obenerwähnten Rotation gefunden, die er vielleicht übersehen hatte. Vielleicht ist es auch bei einzelnen Individuen verschieden. Wenigstens habe ich auch in manchen Fällen, wie Henle gesehen, dass das Band nur aus lockerem gefässreichen Gewebe besteht, während es in anderen ganz feste Fasern hat.

The fact that the lig. teres does not stretch during adduction due to another inhibitory mechanism, which is implemented before it occurs, which Henle observed through a hole in the acetabulum made from the side of the pelvis. I followed the same path and found tension on the ligament during the aforementioned rotation [supination], which he may have overlooked. Perhaps this also varies among individual subjects. At least, like Henle, I have seen that this ligament consists only of loose vascular tissue in some cases, while in others it has very strong fibers.

Quote p. 216

Wenn aber der Körper wesentlich nur auf dem einen Beine ruht, das andere nur leicht aufgesetzt ist, wie dies ganz gewöhnlich beim Stehen geschieht, so können auch die Drehungen der unterstützenden Hüfte um die anderen Achsen verschiedene sein und die Bedingungen ihrer Ruhelage aufgesucht werden.

Die Drehung um die sagittale Achse steht dann, wie die um die quere unter dem Einflusse der Schwere des Rumpfes, da der Drehpunkt der tragenden Hüfte zur Seite von dem Perpendikel des Schwerpunktes liegt. Sie begünstigt eine Annäherung der Medianebene des Beckens an den tragenden Oberschenkel, oder, was dasselbe ist, Adduction des letzteren. Eine solche ist denn auch vorhanden, indem das Becken von der tragenden Hüfte etwas herabhängt, während das Bein zu derselben hin etwas seitwärts nach oben hingerichtet, sowie auch die Wirbelsäule etwas nach dieser Seite hin gebogen ist. Wird nun diese Adduction so gesteigert, dass sie mehr oder weniger schon an der Spannung der Bänder ihre Hemmung findet, so zeigt sich eine schlaffe Haltung in der Ansicht von vorn mit stark heraustretender Hüfte der tragenden Seite, wie die mit schwacher Neigung im Profil. Wird aber durch Spannung der Mm. glutaei das Extrem derselben vermieden, so wird die ganze Haltung gerader und strammer. 

But if the body rests essentially on only one leg, and the other is only slightly adducted, as is often the case when standing, then rotations of the supporting hip around other axes can also be different, and the conditions of their rest can be identified.

Rotation around the sagittal axis, as well as around the transverse axis, occurs under the influence of the weight of the torso, since the pivot point of the supporting hip lies off the perpendicular from the center of gravity. This promotes the approximation of the median plane of the pelvis to the supporting thigh or, equivalently, adduction of the latter. The same adduction is present when the pelvis slightly hangs down from the supporting hip, with the leg directed sideways and upwards, and the spine tilts slightly in that direction. If this adduction is increased to the point where it is limited by tension in the ligaments, then for an observer from the front, a relaxed posture with a prominently protruding hip on the supporting side appears, as well as with a slight inclination in profile. However, if this extreme is avoided by tension in the gluteal muscles, the entire posture becomes more straightened and tense.

External links

Henke W. Handbuch der Anatomie und Mechanik der Gelenke: mit Rücksicht auf Luxationen und Contracturen. Leipzig, Heidelberg: C.F. Winter, 1863. [books.google] 

Authors & Affiliations

Philipp Jakob Wilhelm von Henke (1834-1896) was a German anatomist, professor, and head of the department of anatomy in Rostock, Prague and in Tübingen. [deutsche-biographie.de] 

Portrait of Philipp Jakob Wilhelm von Henke (1902)
Unknown author; original in the 
wikimedia.org collection (CC0 – Public Domain, no changes)


Keywords

ligamentum capitis femoris, ligamentum teres, ligament of head of femur, anatomy, role, significance, biomechanics

                                                                     

NB! Fair practice / use: copied for the purposes of criticism, review, comment, research and private study in accordance with Copyright Laws of the US: 17 U.S.C. §107; Copyright Law of the EU: Dir. 2001/29/EC, art.5/3a,d; Copyright Law of the RU: ГК РФ ст.1274/1.1-2,7

ROLE AND SIGNIFICANCE

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Catalog. LCF of Extinct Species

Discussion of the LCF and morphological signs of its existence in extinct species.   Funston, G. F. (2024). Osteology of the two-fingered oviraptorid Oksoko avarsan (Theropoda: Oviraptorosauria). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, zlae011. [ academic.oup.com ] Hafed, A. B., Koretsky, I. A., Nance, J. R., Koper, L., & Rahmat, S. J. (2024). New Neogene fossil phocid postcranial material from the Atlantic (USA). Historical Biology, 1-20. [ tandfonline.com ] Kuznetsov, A. N., & Sennikov, A. G. (2000). On the function of a perforated acetabulum in archosaurs and birds. PALEONTOLOGICAL JOURNAL C/C OF PALEONTOLOGICHESKII ZHURNAL, 34(4), 439-448. [ researchgate.net ] Romer, A. S. (1922). The locomotor apparatus of certain primitive and mammal-like reptiles. Bulletin of the AMNH; v. 46, article 10. [ digitallibrary.amnh.org  ,  digitallibrary.amnh.org(PDF) ]    Słowiak, J., Brusatte, S. L., & Szczygielski, T. (2024). Reassessment of the enigmati...

LCF in 2025 (November)

  LCF in 2025 ( November )   (Quotes from articles and books published in  October  2025 mentioning the ligamentum capitis femoris)   Awad, A., Rizk, A., ElAlfy, M., Hamed, M., Abdelghany, A. M., Mosbah, E., ... & Karrouf, G. (2025). Synergistic Effects of Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles and Platelet Rich Fibrin on Femoral Head Avascular Necrosis Repair in a Rat Model.  Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part B: Applied Biomaterials ,  113 (11), e35672.    [i]    onlinelibrary.wiley.com   Loughzail, M. R., Aguenaou, O., Fekhaoui, M. R., Mekkaoui, J., Bassir, R. A., Boufettal, M., ... & Lamrani, M. O. (2025). Posterior Fracture–Dislocation of the Femoral Head: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.  Sch J Med Case Rep ,  10 , 2483-2486.     [ii]    saspublishers.com  ,  saspublishers.com   Vertesich, K., Noebauer-Huhmann, I. M., Schreiner, M., Schneider, E., Willegger,...

2025ChenJH_AcklandD

  The article by Chen JH, Al’Khafaji I, Ernstbrunner L, O’Donnell J, Ackland D. Joint contact behavior in the native, ligamentum teres deficient and surgically reconstructed hip: A biomechanics study on the anatomically normal hip (2025). The authors experimentally demonstrated the role of the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) in unloading the upper sector of the acetabulum and the femoral head. The text in Russian is available at the following link: 2025ChenJH_AcklandD . Joint contact behavior in the native, ligamentum teres deficient and surgically reconstructed hip: A biomechanics study on the anatomically normal hip By  Chen JH, Al’Khafaji I, Ernstbrunner L, O’Donnell J, Ackland D.     CONTENT [i]   Abstract [ii]   Introduction [iii]   Materials and methods [iv]   Results [v]   Discussion and Conclusion [vi]   References [vii]   Application [i]   Abstract Background The ligamentum teres is known to contribute to hip joint st...

Who, When, and Where Wrote the Book of Genesis?

  Who, When, and Where Wrote the Book of Genesis?  A Medical Hypothesis By Sergey V. Arkhipov, MD, PhD & Lyudmila N. Arkhipova, BSN     CONTENT [i]   Abstract [ii]   Introduction [iii]   Egyptian physician [iv]   Asian diviner [v]   Conclusion [vi]   References [vii]   Application [i]   Abstract The Book of Genesis is an example of an ancient literary text that contains important medical insights. We propose that it was written in northern Egypt in the late 17th century BCE, approximately ten years after the Minoan eruption. The protograph likely emerged from the collaboration between an Asiatic seer, who rose to the rank of an Egyptian official, and an Egyptian physician-encyclopedist. By refining its dating and authorship, this hypothesis positions Genesis as a credible source of medical and historical data, thereby enhancing its value for interdisciplinary research. [ii]   Introduction According to Rabbinic Judais...

1878MarshallJ

  Fragments from the book Marshall J. Anatomy for artists (1878). The author discusses the anatomy and briefly the role of the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF): «… checks adduction of the thigh, or a sinking down of the pelvis upon the opposite side, and, possibly, also limits the reciprocal, horizontal rotatory movements of the femur and the pelvis on each other» .   Quote p. 65 The head of the femur is almost entirely received into the acetabulum, a deep socket of the hip-bone, thus forming the largest and most complete ball-and- socket joint in the body. At a point on the inner side of the head of the femur, a little below and also behind its centre, is a small rough, bifid , depression, for the attachment of the ligamentum teres of the hip-joint. Opposite this point, the head of the bone is, however, more prominent than elsewhere, and corresponds with a non- articular depressed portion of the acetabulum.   Quote p. 68 The ligamentum teres, which is attached by one en...

1916WalmsleyT

    Article by Walmsley T. A note on the retinacula of Weitbrecht (1916). The author discusses the embryonic development and relationships of the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) in humans and animals.     A NOTE ON THE RETINACULA OF WEITBRECHT. By THOMAS WALMSLEY, M.B., Senior Demonstrator in Anatomy, University  of Glasgow.   The synovial membrane of the hip-joint is in extent and attachment similar to that of other diarthroses, but the retinacula of Weitbrecht (or ligaments of Stanley) lend to it a special interest. These retinacula are readily recognized on the interior of the capsule as flattened bands passing inwards towards the margin of the head of the femur from the attachment of the peripheral capsule. The following description of their constitution may be selected as expressive of current opinion. The retinacula are arranged in three groups, superior, middle, and inferior: structurally, they are synovial covered capsular reflections: morphologic...

1956PelletLL

    Invention  ( Patent ) : Pellet LL. Hip arthroplasty with flexible securing means US2765787 (1956) .   US2765787A United States Inventor: Leon L Pellet Current Assignee: Individual Worldwide applications 1954 US Application US447107A events: 1954-08-02 Application filed by Individual 1954-08-02 Priority to US447107A 1956-10-09 Application granted 1956-10-09 Publication of US2765787A 1973-10-09 Anticipated expiration Status: Expired - Lifetime   HIP ARTHROPLASTY WITH FLEXBLE SECURING MEANS Leon L. Pellet, Dallas, Tex. Application August 2, 1954, Serial No. 447,107 19 Claims. (C. 128-92)   This invention relates to a method and means for treating subcapital fractures of the femur. Subcapital fractures of the femur, i. e. fracture of the neck of the femur between the head and the trochanter of the femur, occur frequently in elderly people because the bone structure of the femoral neck becomes porous and weak with age. Further, sometimes, as a result of ase...

1857RichetA

  Fragments of the book Richet A. Traité pratique d' Anatomie medico-chirurgicale (1857) are devoted to the anatomy of the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF). The author believes that the vessels passing through the LCF are sufficient to supply blood to the femoral head. The text is prepared for machine translation using a service built into the blog from Google or your web browser. In some cases, we have added links to quotations about LCF available on our resource, as well as to publications posted on the Internet.   Quote pp. 922-923 Articulation coxo-femorale. Cette articulation, qui appartient à la classe des énarthroses dont elle représente le type, a été l'objet de travaux importants de la part des physiologistes et des chirurgiens, et c'est aux frères Weber et à M. Malgaigne, plutôt qu'aux anatomistes purs, qu'on doit d'avoir mis en lumière un grand nombre des faits qui vont suivre et qui éclairent des questions pathologiques avant eux restées insol...

2000ShahMK

  Invention  ( Patent ) : Shah MK. Joint replacement system, US6010535 (2000).   US6010535A United States Inventor: Mrugesh K. Shah Current Assignee: Individual Worldwide applications 1998 US Application US09/070,205 events: 1998-04-30 Application filed by Individual 1998-04-30 Priority to US09/070,205 2000-01-04 Application granted 2000-01-04 Publication of US6010535A 2018-04-30 Anticipated expiration Status: Expired - Fee Related   Joint replacement system Mrugesh K. Shah   Abstract A replacement system for a joint including a first cup member having an interior lining material and forming a hemispherical cavity therein, a ball member received within the hemispherical cavity and being cantable within the cavity, a securing member connected to the first cup member for affixing the first cup member within an acetabulum area of the pelvic bone of a human joint, and an affixing member interconnected to the ball member for affixing the ball member against the ...

1865RoseE

The author describes his own experiments on the hip joint and mentions the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF). Edmund Rose noted that the LCF allowed the femoral head to be removed from the acetabulum more than 1½ inches (38.1 mm). The text is prepared for machine translation using a service built into the blog from Google or your web browser. In some cases, we have added links to quotations about LCF available on our resource, as well as to publications posted on the Internet.   Die Mechanik des Hüftgelenkes. Von Dr. EDMUND ROSE, Docent der Chirurgie in Berlin. Quote p. 528-530 Ich fuhr danach fort, die Weber'schen Experimente zwar nicht wörtlich nachzumachen, aber zur Controlle zu variiren, indem ich zunächst den Pfannenboden dicht oberhalb des untern Horns und neben dem Lig. teres von der Pfanne aus durchbohrte, um so die Kugel nicht zu verletzen, was bei umgekehrkehrter Richtung, da sich Pfanne und Kugel berühren, den Mechanikern unvermeidlich scheint (1), wonach dann freilich ...