Isolated contracture of the rectus femoris muscle.

A girl of twenty had complained of pain in the right leg when walking, early fatigue and a limp, since breaking the right ankle three years before. She had not had any other accident or any illness. The knee could not be flexed without flexing the hip (Fig. 1). Conversely the hip could not be extended without extending the knee; indeed, extreme extension of the hipwas impossible even with the knee fully extended. Other hip movements were free. The patient walked with a slight limp because, to avoid concomitant flexion of the hip, she did not bend her knee and consequently tilted her pelvis slightly to the left. The Trendelenburg test was negative. Radiographs of the right hip and ankle were normal.