Fascia Lata of The Thigh

The deep fascia of the thigh is called fascia lata (L. lata, broad). The fascia lata is substantial because it encloses the large thigh muscles, especially laterally, where it is thickened and strengthened by additional reinforcing longitudinal fibers to form the iliotibial tract. This broad band of fibers is the shared aponeurosis of the tensor fasciae latae and gluteus maximus muscles. The iliotibial tract extends from the iliac tubercle to the anterolateral tubercle of the tibia (Gerdy tubercle).
Fascia Lata VS Tensor Fascia Lata
Fascia lata and Tensor fascia latae are different structures. The Fascia lata is a fibrous tissue (membrane tissue) that lies deep to the skin and encloses the thigh muscles and forms the outer limit of the fascial compartments of thigh, while the tensor fascia lata is a muscle that has origin, insertion innervation and blood supply.
See Also: Tensor Fascia Lata Muscle
Fascia Lata Anatomy
Superiorly, the fascia lata attaches to and is continuous with the:
- Inguinal ligament, pubic arch, body of pubis, and pubic tubercle anteriorly.
- Membranous layer of subcutaneous tissue (Scarpa fascia) of the inferior abdominal wall also attaches to the fascia lata approximately a finger’s breadth inferior to the inguinal ligament.
- Iliac crest laterally and posteriorly.
- Sacrum, coccyx, sacrotuberous ligament, and ischial tuberosity/ischiopubic ramus posteriorly and medially.
Inferiorly, it attaches to and is continuous with:
- Exposed parts of bones around the knee.
- The deep fascia of the leg inferior to the knee.
The thigh muscles are separated into three compartments: anterior, medial, and posterior. The walls of these compartments are formed by the fascia lata and three fascial intermuscular septa that arise from its deep aspect and attach to the linea aspera of the femur. The lateral intermuscular septum is especially strong; the other two septa are relatively weak. The lateral intermuscular septum extends deeply from the iliotibial tract to the lateral lip of the linea aspera and lateral supracondylar line of the femur. This septum offers an internervous plane (plane between nerves) to surgeons needing wide exposure of the femur.

The saphenous opening in the fascia lata is a gap or hiatus in the fascia lata inferior to the medial part of the inguinal ligament, approximately 4 cm inferolateral to the pubic tubercle. The saphenous opening is usually approximately 3.75 cm in length and 2.5 cm in breadth, and its long axis is vertical. The medial margin of the opening is smooth but its superior, lateral, and inferior margins form a sharp crescentic edge, the falciform margin.
Fibrofatty tissue, the cribriform fascia (L. cribrum, a sieve), is a localized membranous layer of subcutaneous tissue that spreads over the saphenous opening, closing it. The connective tissue is pierced by numerous openings (thus its name) for the passage of efferent lymphatic vessels from the superficial inguinal lymph nodes and by the great saphenous vein and its tributaries. After passing through the saphenous opening and cribriform fascia, the great saphenous vein enters the femoral vein. The lymphatic vessels enter the deep inguinal lymph nodes.

References & More
- Clinically Oriented Anatomy – 8th Edition
- Wikipedia – Fascia lata
- Otsuka S, Shan X, Kurumisawa K, Omura S, Yamagishi T, Naito M, Kawakami Y. Investigation of the association between human fascia lata thickness and its neighboring tissues’ morphology and function using B-mode ultrasonography. J Anat. 2021 Nov;239(5):1114-1122. doi: 10.1111/joa.13505. Epub 2021 Jul 13. PMID: 34254666; PMCID: PMC8546528. Pubmed
- Lifetime product updates
- Install on one device
- Lifetime product support
App Features:
- Lifetime product updates
- Install on one device
- Lifetime product support
App Features:
- Lifetime product updates
- Install on one device
- Lifetime product support
App Features:
- Lifetime product updates
- Install on one device
- Lifetime product support