Degloving Injury of the Rectus Femoris Muscle: Two Cases With Radiological Findings

Rectus femoris muscle is one of the most commonly injured components of the quadriceps, especially in athletes. Due to its unique bipennate and unipennate structure, it is prone not only to classical myotendinous injuries but also to an uncommon pattern known as "intramuscular degloving injury“. This injury refers to the dissociation between the superficial unipennate and inner bipennate components of the muscle. In this report, two male patients presented with anterior thigh pain and swelling following physical activity. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed fluid collection between the muscle layers, haemorrhagic signal intensities on T1-weighted images, and central tendon retraction in both cases. Based on clinical and radiological findings, the diagnosis of intramuscular degloving injury of the rectus femoris was established. Both patients were conservatively managed and achieved symptomatic improvement. These cases highlight the significance of MRI in detecting this rare lesion and emphasise that such injuries may also affect non-athletic individuals.