Test
The clinician passively lowers the tested leg until resistance is felt or movement at the pelvis is detected. With the patient’s thigh in the final resting position, the clinician observes whether it is in neutral and parallel to the table or abducted. A normal length of the one-joint hip flexors with the lumbar spine and sacrum flat on the table is indicated by the posterior thigh touching the table (0° of hip extension). With slight overpressure, the thigh should reach 10° to 15° of hyperextension (figure 7.2, b-c). Prominence of a superior patellar groove (figure 7.2d) suggests a short rectus femoris, while prominence of a lateral IT groove suggests a short IT band (see figure 7.2e).
This is an excerpt from Assessment and Treatment of Muscle Imbalance: The Janda Approach