Variation of the anterior aspect of the femoral head‐neck junction in a modern human identified skeletal collection

Bibliographic Data

ID8316601
AuthorsNico Radi (Department of Biological Geological and Environmental Sciences, Laboratory of Bioarchaeology and Forensic Osteology, University of Bologna Via Selmi 3 Bologna 40126 Italy, corresponding author), Mariotti (0000-0002-6956-781X, University of Bologna), Valentina Mariotti (Department of Biological Geological and Environmental Sciences, Laboratory of Bioarchaeology and Forensic Osteology, University of Bologna Via Selmi 3 Bologna 40126 Italy), Alessandro Riga (0000-0002-7240-0009, Department of Biological Geological and Environmental Sciences, Laboratory of Bioarchaeology and Forensic Osteology, University of Bologna Via Selmi 3 Bologna 40126 Italy), Stefania Zampetti (Department of Biological Geological and Environmental Sciences, Laboratory of Bioarchaeology and Forensic Osteology, University of Bologna Via Selmi 3 Bologna 40126 Italy), Chiara Villa (0000-0002-9967-8131, Department of Forensic Medicine Laboratory of Biological Anthropology, University of Copenhagen Blegdamsvej 3 Copenhagen 2200 Denmark), M G Belcastro (0000-0002-8932-8509, University of Bologna)
Year2013
Volume152
Issue2
Pages261-272
Publication date2013-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Physical Anthropology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-9483 • E-ISSN: 1096-8644
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/ajpa.22354
PMID23999736
OpenAlexW2149519987
LanguageEN
Citations received30
References cited36

The effectiveness of the so‐called skeletal markers of activity as functional indicators is widely debated. Among them, certain morphological features of the anterior aspect of the femoral head‐neck junction (Poirier's facet, cervical fossa of Allen, etc.) have been considered in relation to some behaviors and specific activities (e.g., squatting, horseback riding, etc.). However, disagreement on terminology and descriptions, the absence of standardized scoring methods and poor knowledge of the variability and distribution of these features make it difficult to interpret their meaning. The aim of this study is to analyze the variability of the anterior aspect of the femoral neck through a new scoring method taking into account three main traits: Poirier's facet, plaque, and cribra (including the Allen's fossa). This method has been applied to a sample of 225 adult individuals of both sexes coming from an identified modern skeletal collection, achieving low intraobserver and interobserver error values. The results highlight some significant trends: plaque, almost always bilateral, appears to be a normal condition of the femur, being present in approximately 90% of the individuals. Cribra is more frequent in females and decreases with age. Poirier's facet shows a very low frequency. This method allows the representation of both the anatomical diversity of the region already described in literature and part of the variability never considered before. Our results suggest caution in considering these features as markers related to specific activities. Am J Phys Anthropol 152:261–272, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Facet (psychology) · Femoral head · Femur · Fossa · Linguistics · Malleus · Terminology · Anatomy · Hip disorders and treatments · Lower Extremity Biomechanics and Pathologies · Medicine · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Psychology · Sports injuries and prevention · Surgery

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