Skip to main content

1868AebyCT

 

Christoph Aeby believed that the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) is the internal capsule of the joint. The author presents the classical viewpoint: the LCF does not have significant importance for joint stabilization.

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

Aeby CT. Der Bau des menschlichen Körpers mit besonderer Rücksicht auf seine morphologische und physiologische Bedeutung… Erste lieferung. Leipzig: F.C.W. Vogel, 1868. [fragments]

p. 304

 


Fig. 130. A, Senkrechter, B, wagerechter Querschnitt des linken Hüftgelenkes. (1/2 N. G.) a, os pelvis; b, femur mit trochanter major. α, labrum glenoidale; β, lig. teres.

Fig. 130. A, Vertical, B, horizontal cross-section of the left hip joint. (1/2 N. G.) a, os pelvis; b, femur with trochanter major; α, labrum glenoidale; β, lig. teres.

pp. 305-306

Wie im Schultergelenk, so erhält auch im Hüftgelenk die Pfanne einen aus festem bindegewebigem Filze gebildeten, in scharfem Rande auslaufenden Saum (labrum glenoidale), der sie rings umzieht. Er folgt nicht bloss der Knorpelfläche, sondern geht ohne Unterbrechung auch über die von ihr gelassene Lücke hinweg. Er vergrössert daher nicht bloss die Pfanne nach den Seiten hin, sondern vervollständigt auch ihren Rand, indem er deren Einschnitt zur Oeffnung umwandelt.

Die Ringform der Gelenkflächen bedingt eine ganz eigenthümliche Anordnung der Gelenkkapsel. Sie wird zu einer doppelten und begränzt die Gelenkhöhle nicht bloss, wie gewöhnlich, an Einer, sondern an zwei einander gegenüber liegenden Seiten. In unserm Falle sind die beiden Kapseln einander freilich so unähnlich, dass man nur der einen, der äussern, diese Bedeutung zugestanden hat, die andere dagegen unter dem durchaus unzutreffenden Namen des runden Bandes (lig, teres) als eine Bildung ganz eigener Art glaubte hinstellen zu sollen.

Richten wir unser Augenmerk vor allem auf diese vielfach verkannte innere Kapsel (lig. capsulare int.). Sie ist nur von geringer Stärke und kann selbst, obgleich nur ausnahmsweise, ganz oder theilweise fehlen. Ihr Umfang entspricht dem Innenrande der beiden Gelenkflächen, und sie stellt demnach ein trichterförmig gegen die Pfanne erweitertes Rohr vor. An dieser umspannt sie den Pfannengrund, indem sie nach unten an den frei über dessen Einschnitt hinweggehenden Theil des labrum glenoidale sich anheftet; am Kopfe folgt sie dem innern Knorpelsaume. Ihre obere Wand ist so tief nach unten ausgestülpt, dass sie an die untere fast unmittelbar sich anlegt und mit ihr scheinbar ein einfaches, plattgedrücktes Band (eben das fälschlich sogenannte lig. teres) erzeugt, das von der incisura acetabuli steil zur Grube des Gelenkkopfes emporsteigt. Die Aussenfläche der innern Gelenkkapsel wird theils von Fett-, theils von Sehnenlagen überdeckt, welche das von ihr gebildete Rohr vollständig ausfüllen und durch den Pfanneneinschnitt frei nach aussen hervortreten.

As in the shoulder joint, the socket in the hip joint also has a lip (labrum glenoidale), made of hard connective tissue and ending sharply, which surrounds the socket on all sides. It not only follows the surface of the cartilage, but also passes through the gap created by it without interruption. Therefore, he not only widens the cavity on the sides, but also completes its edge, turning its cut into an opening.

The ring shape of the joint surfaces determines a very peculiar arrangement of the joint capsule. It becomes double and confines the joint cavity not only on one side, as usual, but also on two opposite sides. In our case, both capsules are certainly so dissimilar that only one of them, the outer one, is given such importance, while the other, entirely erroneously called the round ligament (lig. teres), is considered a formation of an entirely different kind.

Let's focus primarily on this often underestimated inner capsule (lig. capsulare int.). It possesses only a small degree of strength and may, although rarely, be completely or partially absent. Its extent corresponds to the inner edge of both joint surfaces, and therefore it represents a funnel-shaped tube directed towards the socket. Here it encompasses the bottom of the socket, attaching to it from below to the free part of the labrum glenoidale; on the head, it follows the inner edge of the cartilage. Its upper wall is so deeply descended downward that it practically immediately joins the lower one, creating together what appears to be a simple, flattened strip (the so-called lig. teres), which sharply rises from the incisura acetabuli to the fovea of the femoral head. The outer surface of the inner joint capsule is partially covered by layers of fat and tendons, which completely fill the tube formed by it and freely protrude outward through the incision of the socket.

p. 307

Für die Sicherung und Eindämmung des Gelenkes ist das innere Kapselband wohl ohne Bedeutung; höchstens vermag es durch seine lockern Fettmassen zur Ausgleichung etwaiger Incongruenzen einiges beizutragen.

 

The internal capsular ligament likely does not play a significant role in joint stabilization; at best, it may contribute to compensating for any discrepancies due to its free fat masses.

Fig. 130. A, Senkrechter, B, wagerechter Querschnitt des linken Hüftgelenkes. (1/2 N. G.) a, os pelvis; b, femur mit trochanter major. α, labrum glenoidale; β, lig. teres.

Fig. 130. A, Vertical, B, horizontal cross-section of the left hip joint. (1/2 N. G.) a, os pelvis; b, femur with trochanter major; α, labrum glenoidale; β, lig. teres.

 



External links

Aeby CT. Der Bau des menschlichen Körpers mit besonderer Rücksicht auf seine morphologische und physiologische Bedeutung… Erste lieferung. Leipzig: F.C.W. Vogel, 1868. [books.google , digitale-sammlungen.de]

Authors & Affiliations

Christoph Theodor Aeby (1835-1885) was a Swiss anatomist, anthropologist, and academic. [en.wikipedia.org] 

Christoph Theodor Aeby (c. 1880)
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

                                                                      .

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

MORPHOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY

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...

1996(d)ArkhipovSV

  The endoprosthesis of the femoral head ( Эндопротез головки бедренной кости ) Patent Application RU96118782A Inventor Сергей Васильевич Архипов Original Assignee Sergey Vasilyevich Arkhipov Application RU96118782/14A events 1996-09-20 Application filed by С.В. Архипов 1998-12-27 Publication of RU96118782A Claims The endoprosthesis of the femoral head, comprising a head connected to the intraosseous rod, characterized in that the head is formed as a hollow spherical segment, is provided with a through hole, and intramedullary rod has a longitudinal bore there through and the stiffeners, and connected to lateral extramedullary plate provided with through-cone holes which set screws with conical head connected to the extramedullary medial plate, and through the die opening intraosseous rod channel omitted flexible member of dynes end connected to the extramedullary lateral plate and the other with a fastening member. Description of the invention Description in Russian is...

Human Children. Retelling of Chapter 8

  Short retelling of chapter 1 of the essay: Arkhipov S.V. Human Children: The Origins of Biblical Legends from a Physician's Perspective. Joensuu: Author's Edition, 2025. [In Russian]  Chapter 8. THE LAND OF NOD Cain’s family settled in the land of "Nod," where they established a "city." We propose this tribal group followed a route later known as the Great Khorasan Road, leading Cain, son of Adam, to the Kermanshah Valley in the central Zagros Mountains. There, we believe he founded the settlement of "Enoch," its remnants linked to the archaeological site of Sheikh-e Abad (34°36'42"N, 47°16'11"E). In this village, the newcomers mastered musical instruments, developed metalworking techniques, and some adopted nomadic herding, living in "tents with flocks." As a farmer, Cain likely preserved knowledge of agriculture. Favorable conditions, division of labor, and acquired skills probably fueled population growth among thes...

1190Rambam

  Fragment from the book Rambam . Guide for the Perplexed (1190). The treatise is philosophical work and an explanation of the Biblical account of creation, was written in Egypt ( sefaria.org ). The author mentions a variant of the pathology ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF, גיד) in humans.  See our commentary at the link:   1190Rambam [Rus]. Quote. [Heb] Part 3.48:6 «:וטעם 'גיד הנשה' כתוב» (original source: sefaria.org ). Translation Quote. [Eng] Part 3, Chapter 48.6 The reason why the sinew that shrank is prohibited is stated in the Law (Gen. xxxii.33).  (trans. M. Friedländer ; original source: 1956MaimonidesM, p. 371) External links Rambam . Guide for the Perplexed. Egypt, 1190. [ sefaria.org ] Maimonides M. The Guide for the Perplexed by Moses Maimonides. Transl. M. Friedländer London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd. [1904] [ sacred-texts.com ] Maimonides M. The Guide for the Perplexed by Moses Maimonides. Transl. M. Friedländer London: G. Routledge & Sons...

1527BenedettiA

  Fragment from the book Benedetti A. Anatomice siue historia corporis humani (1527). The author explains the origin of the rare synonym of ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) – ischion. Quote. Liber V. De femine et eius prolapsu.  Cap.  XXXI Sinus coxae à graecis cotylae, à nostris acetabula dicuntur, quae hos sinus complent circa quae uersurae siunt, coxendices uocatur, à graecis ischia, à quib ischiadici dicti sunt, qui coxedice laborant. Nam et neruus quo coxendix acetabulo comittitur, ischion quoqʒ dicitur. Translation [Eng] Book V. On the Hip and Its Prolapse. Chapter XXXI. The pelvic sinuses are called cups (cotylae) by the Greeks, and in these sinuses, we have an inkwell (acetabula). The region around which the movements take place is called the coxendices (hip joint), by the Greeks the sciatic (ischia), from which the term ischiadici (related to the hip) comes for those suffering from hip issues. And the sinew/nerve (neruus) which connects the hip (coxendix) to the ...

1851HyrtlJ

  The author expresses a classic view on the functions of the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF): a conductor of blood vessels and a limiter of adduction of the femur. J. Hyrtl believed that it was impossible to completely dislocate the hip without tearing the LCF. Hyrtl J. Lehrbuch der Anatomie des Menschen, mit Rücksicht auf physiologische Begründung und praktische Anwendung. Wien: W. Braumüller, 1851. [fragment] Quote p. 265 In der Höhle des Gelenks liegt das runde Band des Schenkelkopfes (Lig. teres), welches an der Incisura acetabuli entspringt, und bei richtiger Neigung des Beckens, senkrecht zur Grube des Schenkelkopfes aufsteigt. Es beschränkt dieses Band die Zuziehung des Schenkels, und schreibt zugleich den durch die Incisura acetabuli eindringenden Blutgefässen den Weg vor, den sie zum Oberschenkelkopfe zu nehmen haben. Da das Band, wenn es in die Höhle des Gelenkes vorragen würde, durch Reibung viel zu leiden hätte, so...

1853PirogoffN(Pt.IV)

  Drawings of sections of a frozen human body demonstrating the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF). External links Pirogoff N. Anatome topographica sectionibus per corpus humanum congelatum triplici directione ductus illustrate. Pars IV. Cavum abdominis et pelvis. Petropoli: Typis Jacobi Trey, 1853. [Lat.] [ archive.org ] Authors & Affiliations Nikolay Ivanovich Pirogov (1810-1881) was a Russian scientist, medical doctor, pedagogue, professor of surgery at the Imperial Academy of Military Medicine in Saint Petersburg.    wikipedia.org      Portrait of Nikolay Pirogov by Ilya Repin (1881); the State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia (fragment)   Keywords ligamentum capitis femoris, ligamentum teres, ligament of head of femur, anatomy, image                                                             ...

Human Children. Retelling of Chapter 15

  Short retelling of chapter 15 of the essay: Arkhipov S.V. Human Children: The Origins of Biblical Legends from a Physician's Perspective. Joensuu: Author's Edition, 2025. [In Russian]  Chapter 15. EXODUS FROM HARAN Jacob thrives as a shepherd in Haran, amassing wealth while his father-in-law, Laban, grows poorer. Sensing Laban’s growing resentment, Jacob foresees trouble and flees with his family, livestock, and possessions, aiming for “the land of Canaan.” His caravan crosses a river—likely the Euphrates—and heads toward “Mount Gilead.” Genesis doesn’t specify the journey’s duration, but ten days later, Laban overtakes Jacob at Gilead. Here, it’s revealed Jacob labored 20 years in Haran: 14 for his wives, Leah and Rachel, and six under a later deal for livestock. At Mount Gilead, the families reconcile, sealing peace with a monument—a rock pillar encircled by stones—named “Jegar-Sahadutha,” “Galeed,” and “Mizpah.” Laban returns home, and Jacob presses on to “Mahanaim.” ...