Which test is performed with the patient prone to assess rectus femoris length?

Which test is performed with the patient prone to assess rectus femoris length?

• A. Kendall test
• B. Ely test
• C. Apley's scratch test
• D. Sahrmann core stability test

Answer: (B)

Rectus femoris length is best evaluated with a position that stretches it across both its hip and knee joints, and in this biarticular muscle that means placing the person prone and flexing the knee toward the buttock. In the prone knee flexion (Ely) test, if the rectus femoris is tight, the hip on the same side will rise off the table as the knee is flexed. That hip movement (or pelvic lift) signals reduced length of the rectus femoris. This specific prone positioning isolates the rectus femoris more directly than other tests. The other options assess different things or use different positions: A test used for shoulder movement, another for core stability, and another that typically evaluates hip flexor length in a supine position. None of those are the prone knee flexion test that targets rectus femoris length.

Rectus femoris length is best evaluated with a position that stretches it across both its hip and knee joints, and in this biarticular muscle that means placing the person prone and flexing the knee toward the buttock. In the prone knee flexion (Ely) test, if the rectus femoris is tight, the hip on the same side will rise off the table as the knee is flexed. That hip movement (or pelvic lift) signals reduced length of the rectus femoris. This specific prone positioning isolates the rectus femoris more directly than other tests.

The other options assess different things or use different positions: A test used for shoulder movement, another for core stability, and another that typically evaluates hip flexor length in a supine position. None of those are the prone knee flexion test that targets rectus femoris length.