Testing the Muscles of the Lower Extremity
Hip Flexion


Table 6-1
I.D. | Muscle | Origin | Insertion |
174 | Psoas major | L1-L5 vertebrae (transverse processes)T12-L5 vertebral bodies (sides) and their intervertebral discs | Femur (lesser trochanter) |
176 | Iliacus | Iliac fossa (upper 2/3)Iliac crest (inner lip)Sacroiliac and iliolumbar ligamentsSacrum (upper lateral surface) | Femur (lesser trochanter; joins tendon of psoas major)Femoral shaft below lesser trochanter |
Others | |||
196 | Rectus femoris | ||
195 | Sartorius | ||
185 | Tensor fasciae latae | ||
177 | Pectineus | ||
180 | Adductor brevis | ||
179 | Adductor longus | ||
181 | Adductor magnus (superior fibers) | ||
183 | Gluteus medius (anterior) |
Grade 2 (Poor)
Position of Patient:
Side-lying with limb to be tested uppermost and supported by therapist (Figure 6-6). Trunk in neutral alignment. Lowermost limb may be flexed for stability. A powder board may also be used to decrease friction.

Hip Flexion, Abduction, and External Rotation with Knee Flexion


Table 6-2
HIP FLEXION, ABDUCTION, AND EXTERNAL ROTATION
I.D. | Muscle | Origin | Insertion |
195 | Sartorius | Ilium (anterior superior iliac spine [ASIS])Iliac notch below ASIS | Tibia (shaft, proximal medial surface)Capsule of knee joint (via slip)Medial side fascia of leg |
Others | |||
Hip and knee flexors | |||
Hip external rotators | |||
Hip abductors |
Grade 5 (Normal), Grade 4 (Good), and Grade 3 (Fair)
Instructions to Patient:
Therapist may demonstrate the required motion passively and then ask the patient to repeat the motion, or the therapist may place the limb in the desired end position.
“Hold it! Don’t let me move your leg or straighten your knee.”
Alternate instruction: “Slide your heel up the shin of your other leg.”
Grade 1 (Trace) and Grade 0 (Zero)
Position of Therapist:
Standing on side to be tested. Cradle test limb under calf with hand supporting limb behind knee. Opposite hand palpates sartorius on medial side of thigh where the muscle crosses the femur (Figure 6-15). Therapist may prefer to palpate near the muscle origin just below the ASIS.

Hip Extension
(Gluteus maximus and Hamstrings)



Table 6-3
I.D. | Muscle | Origin | Insertion |
182 | Gluteus maximus | Ilium (posterior gluteal line)Iliac crest (posterior medial) | Femur (gluteal tuberosity) |
Sacrum (dorsal surface of lower part)Coccyx (side)Sacrotuberous ligamentAponeurosis over gluteus medius | Iliotibial tract of fascia lata | ||
193 | Semitendinosus | Ischial tuberosity (upper area, inferomedial impression via tendon shared with biceps femoris)Aponeurosis (between the two muscles) | Tibia (proximal medial shaft)Pes anserinus |
194 | Semimembranosus | Ischial tuberosity (superolateral impression) | Tibia (medial condyle, posterior aspect)Oblique popliteal ligament of knee jointAponeurosis over distal muscle (variable) |
192 | Biceps femoris (long head) | Ischial tuberosity (inferomedial impression via tendon shared with semitendinosus)Sacrotuberous ligament | Fibula (head)Tibia (lateral condyle)1Aponeurosis |
Others | |||
181 | Adductor magnus (inferior) | ||
183 | Gluteus medius (posterior) |
Grade 5 (Normal), Grade 4 (Good), and Grade 3 (Fair) (Aggregate of all hip extensor muscles)
Position of Therapist:
Standing at side of limb to be tested at level of pelvis. (Note: Figure 6-20 shows therapist on opposite side to avoid obscuring activity.)

The hand providing resistance is placed on the posterior leg just above the ankle. The opposite hand may be used to stabilize or maintain pelvis alignment in the area of the posterior superior spine of the ilium (see Figure 6-20). This is the most demanding test because the lever arm is longest.
Alternate Position:
The hand that gives resistance is placed on the posterior thigh just above the knee (Figure 6-21). This is a less demanding test. Optimal resistance cannot be applied because of the shorter lever arm and so this test is not recommended.

Grade 2 (Poor)
Position of Therapist:
Standing behind patient at thigh level. Therapist supports test limb just below the knee, cradling the leg (Figure 6-23). Opposite hand is placed over the pelvic crest to maintain pelvic and hip alignment.

Grade 1 (Trace) and Grade 0 (Zero)
Position of Therapist:
Standing on side to be tested at level of hips. Palpate hamstrings (deep into tissue with fingers) at the ischial tuberosity (Figure 6-24). Palpate the gluteus maximus with deep finger pressure over the center of the buttocks and also over the upper and lower fibers.

Hip Extension Test to Isolate Gluteus Maximus
Grade 5 (Normal), Grade 4 (Good), and Grade 3 (Fair)
Position of Therapist:
Standing at the side to be tested at the level of the pelvis. (Note: The therapist in the illustration is shown on the wrong side to avoid obscuring test positions.) Hand for resistance is contoured over the posterior thigh just above the knee. The opposite hand may stabilize or maintain the alignment of the pelvis (Figure 6-25).

For the Grade 3 test, the knee may need to be supported in flexion (by cradling at the ankle).
Grade 2 (Poor)
Position of Therapist:
Standing behind the patient at thigh level. (Note: The therapist in the illustration is shown on the wrong side to avoid obscuring test positions.) Therapist cradles uppermost leg with forearm and hand under the flexed knee. Other hand is on pelvis to maintain postural alignment.
Grade 1 (Trace) and Grade 0 (Zero)
This test is identical to the Grades 1 and 0 tests for aggregate hip extension (see Figure 6-24). The patient is prone and attempts to extend the hip or squeeze the buttocks together while the therapist palpates the gluteus maximus.
Hip Extension Tests Modified for Hip Flexion Tightness
Grade 5 (Normal), Grade 4 (Good), and Grade 3 (Fair)
Position of Patient:
Patient stands with hips flexed and places torso prone on the table (Figure 6-28). The arms are used to “hug” the table for support. The knee of the non-test limb should be flexed to allow the test limb to rest on the floor at the start of the test.

Position of Therapist:
Standing at side of limb to be tested. (Note: Figure 6-28 shows the therapist on the opposite side to avoid obscuring test positions.) The hand used to provide resistance is contoured over the posterior thigh just above the knee. The opposite hand stabilizes the pelvis laterally to maintain hip and pelvis posture (see Figure 6-25).
Grade 2 (Poor), Grade 1 (Trace), and Grade 0 (Zero)
Do not test the patient with hip flexion contractures and weak extensors (less than Grade 3) in the standing position. Position the patient side-lying on the table. Conduct the test as described for the aggregate of extensor muscles (see page 212) or for the isolated gluteus maximus (see page 214).

Supine Hip Extension Test
An alternate hip extensor test is the supine hip extension test. This supine test may be substituted to eliminate change of patient position. Grades 5, 4, 3, and 2 have been validated in this position (n = 44 subjects) by measuring maximum hip extension torques recorded via a strain gauge dynamometer.2
Grade 5 (Normal), Grade 4 (Good), Grade 3 (Fair), and Grade 2 (Poor)
Position of Patient:
Supine with heels off end of table. Arms folded across chest or abdomen. (Do not allow patient to push into table with upper extremities.) The patient’s hip range should be measured to assure approximately 35 inches (approximately 65° of flexion). This is the distance the leg should be lifted during the test (Figure 6-29).

Position of Therapist:
Standing at end of table. Both hands are cupped under the heel (Figure 6-30). The therapist should be in a position to resist this typically very strong muscle.

Grading
Hip locks in neutral (full extension) throughout this test. Pelvis and back elevate as one locked unit as the therapist raises the limb (Figure 6-31). The opposite limb will rise involuntarily, illustrating a locked pelvis.

Hip flexes before pelvis and back elevate and lock as the limb is raised by the therapist. Hip flexion should not exceed 30° before locking occurs (Figure 6-32). The other leg will rise involuntarily, but will have some hip flexion because the pelvis is not fully locked.

Hip Abduction
(Gluteus medius and Gluteus minimus)


Table 6-4
I.D. | Muscle | Origin | Insertion |
183 | Gluteus medius* | Ilium (outer surface between crest and anterior and posterior gluteal lines)Fascia (over upper part) | Femur (greater trochanter, lateral aspect) |
184 | Gluteus minimus | Ilium (outer surface between anterior and inferior gluteal lines)Greater sciatic notch | Femur (greater trochanter, anterolateral ridge)Fibrous capsule of hip joint |
Others | |||
182 | Gluteus maximus (upper fibers) | ||
185 | Tensor fasciae latae | ||
187 | Obturator internus (thigh flexed) | ||
189 | Gemellus superior (thigh flexed) | ||
190 | Gemellus inferior (thigh flexed) | ||
195 | Sartorius |
*The greatest percentage of maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) in the gluteus medius was recorded during single limb stance when the subject was simultaneously abducting the opposite leg. This finding validates the gluteus medius as a pelvic stabilizer.3,4
Grade 5 (Normal), Grade 4 (Good), and Grade 3 (Fair)
Position of Patient:
Side-lying with test leg uppermost. Start test with the limb slightly extended beyond the midline and the pelvis rotated slightly forward (Figure 6-36). Lowermost leg is flexed for stability.

Position of Therapist:
Standing behind patient. Hand used to give resistance is contoured across the lateral surface of the knee. The hand used to palpate the gluteus medius is just proximal to the greater trochanter of the femur (see Figure 6-36). (No resistance is used in a Grade 3 test.)
To distinguish a Grade 5 from a Grade 4 result, first apply resistance at the ankle and then at the knee (Figure 6-37). Applying resistance at the ankle creates a longer lever arm, thus requiring more patient effort to resist the movement. If the patient cannot hold the limb in the test position with the resistance at the ankle but can at the knee, the grade is Grade 4. The therapist is reminded always to use the same lever in a given test sequence and in subsequent comparison tests.

Grade 2 (Poor)
Position of Therapist:
Standing on side of limb being tested. One hand supports and lifts the limb by holding it under the ankle to raise limb just enough to decrease friction. This hand offers no resistance, nor should it be used to offer assistance to the movement. On some smooth surfaces, such support may not be necessary (Figure 6-39). (Note: Figures 6-39 and 6-40 show therapist on opposite side of patient to avoid obscuring test positions.)


The other hand palpates the gluteus medius just proximal to the greater trochanter of the femur (Figure 6-40).
Grade 1 (Trace) and Grade 0 (Zero)
Position of Therapist:
Standing at side of limb being tested at level of thigh. One hand supports the limb under the ankle just above the malleoli. The hand should provide neither resistance nor assistance to movement (see Figure 6-40). Palpate the gluteus medius on the lateral aspect of the hip just above the greater trochanter.
Hip Abduction from Flexed Position


Table 6-5
I.D. | Muscle | Origin | Insertion |
185 | Tensor fasciae latae | Iliac crest (outer lip)Fasciae latae (deep)Anterior superior iliac spine (lateral surface) | Iliotibial tract (between its 2 layers, ending 1/3 of the way down) |
Others | |||
183 | Gluteus medius | ||
184 | Gluteus minimus |
Grade 2 (Poor)
Position of Therapist:
Standing at side of limb to be tested. (Note: Figure 6-49 deliberately shows therapist on wrong side to avoid obscuring test positions.) One hand supports the limb under the ankle; this hand will be used to reduce friction with the surface as the patient moves but should neither resist nor assist motion.

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