Detearmination of Hip Adduction, Especially in Arthrodesis

It is usual to consider the frontal mobility of the hip-joint (abduction and adduction) in the sagittal position of the hip that is obtained when the patient is lying supine on a plane table; it is this mobility that was examined in this study.In most text-books and articles in which this mobility is dealt with, it is stated that the measurement shall be made from a zero position in which the leg forms a right-angle with a line between the anterior superior iliac spines.Values given for the movement from this zero position range from 25 to 45" abduction and from 10 to 35" adduction (2,3,5, 7 , 1 4 , 1 6 ) .Fick (6) gives 46 and 28" respectively.These wide variations in what is considered normal suggest that there is some inexactness in the methods of examination.Perkins (13) considers that adduction, in particular, cannot be measured accurately