1. A case of Volkmann's ischaemic contracture, in which function was greatly improved by a muscle slide operation, is described. 2. The possibility of regeneration of muscle after ischaemia is reviewed in the light of recent research. 3. Injection experiments suggest that the forearm flexors, like the gastroenemius,are supplied by end arteries

1. Clinical and histological features in ten patients with smooth muscle tumours of the limbs are described. 2. Severe pain and tenderness and the radiographic demonstration of calcification are useful pointers to the diagnosis. 3. Local recurrence of the tumour occurred in four patients despite apparently adequate excision. In three of these the tumours were shown histologically to be benign

1. The electric potentials in undeformed rabbit tibiae were measured in vivo and in vitro. 2. Surgically traumatised soft-tissues, particularly muscle, constituted the major source of voltage in vivo (up to 22 millivolts). 3. Electrical insulation of the tibia from attached soft parts abolished the high potentials on the bone. 4. Similarly high voltages could be reproduced in an excised tibia by substituting a battery for the injured muscle. 5. Changes in voltage also could be induced by altering blood flow rates or by rapid infusion of saline into the medullary space. 6. Death of the cellular elements in bone did not alter the voltage significantly. 7. The electrical contributions of the nervous system, and of dipole components of the extracellular matrix (such as collagen), either were inconsequential or of such low magnitude as to be "masked" by the larger "injury" voltages. Supported by grants from the United States Public Health Service (AM-07822) and the National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases (TIAM-05408)

We describe a symptomatic, progressive restriction of knee flexion due to an accessory quadriceps femoris in a nine-year-old girl. There was no history or findings of post-injection fibrosis, nor any obvious swelling of the affected quadriceps. At arthroscopy no intra-articular pathology was found. An accessory ‘quinticeps femoris’ was diagnosed by ultrasonography and MRI. Following excision of the muscle and tendon full flexion of the knee was regained and there was no recurrence of the contracture

The presence of the connective tissue components fibronectin and the different types of collagen was demonstrated by histological and immunohistological methods in the granulation and scar tissue of a healing injury in rat muscle. The effects of physical activity on granulation tissue production, scar formation and muscle regeneration at various stages of healing were studied. It was shown that immobilisation after injury accelerates granulation tissue production, but if continued too long, leads to contraction of the scar and to poor structural organisation of the components of regenerating muscle and scar tissue. However, a certain period of immobilisation, about five days for rat muscle, is required to allow newly-formed granulation tissue to cover the injured area and to have sufficient tensile strength to withstand subsequent mobilisation. This mobilisation, at the correct interval, seems essential for the quicker resorption of scar tissue and the better structural organisation of the muscle

The clinical features, management and outcome of bleeding into the muscles of the upper limb of 44 patients are reported. Of 158 episodes of bleeding, 99% were treated within two hours of onset of symptoms and the mean time to complete restoration of function was 2.1 days. The most frequent site of bleeding was the deltoid muscle (24%), followed by the forearm flexors (23.5%), brachioradialis (19.5%), biceps (14%), forearm extensors (11%) and triceps (8%). The majority of bleeds presented with pain, either on movement or at rest, or with tenderness. Bleeds into the biceps required the most transfusions (mean 2.00) and took the longest to resolve (mean 4 days). Bleeding into the flexors and extensors of the forearm resolved most rapidly. The policy of early treatment has been shown to be effective in prompting early and complete recovery

1. The cases of six Chinese children affected by so-called congenital fibrosis of the vastus intermedius muscle are described. The reasons for the choice of name are discussed. 2. Reasons for early operation are put forward: in young children simple division of the tendon of the vastus intermedius is adequate. 3. With increasing age severe changes in all the joint tissues occur, notably in the articular cartilage of the patella. These changes are likely to vitiate the result after operation. 4. The importance of getting as much flexion as possible in children of Asiatic race is stressed

A total of 38 patients with leprosy and localised nerve damage (11 median at the wrist and 37 posterior tibial at the ankle) were treated by 48 freeze-thawed skeletal muscle autografts ranging between 2.5 cm and 14 cm in length. Sensory recovery was noted in 34 patients (89%) and was maintained during a mean period of follow-up of 12.6 years (4 to 14). After grafting the median nerve all patients remained free of ulcers and blisters, ten demonstrated perception of texture and eight recognised weighted pins. In the posterior tibial nerve group, 24 of 30 repairs (80%) resulted in improved healing of the ulcers and 26 (87%) demonstrated discrimination of texture. Quality of life and hand and foot questionnaires showed improvement; the activities of daily living scores improved in six of seven after operations on the hand, and in 14 of 22 after procedures on the foot. Another benefit was subjective improvement in the opposite limb, probably because of the protective effect of better function in the operated side. This study demonstrates that nerve/muscle interposition grafting in leprosy results in consistent sensory recovery and high levels of patient satisfaction. Ten of 11 patients with hand operations and 22 of 25 with procedures to the foot showed sensory recovery in at least one modality

Residual pain after total hip due to a number of causes both local to and replacement may be distant from the hip. We describe pain related to the psoas muscle after total hip replacement in nine patients. All presented with characteristic symptoms. We describe the key features and management. Gratifying results were achieved with treatment. This diagnosis should be considered when assessing patients with pain after total hip replacement

We used freeze-thawed muscle grafts to restore continuity to the affected nerve in 22 painful cutaneous neuromas. In 11 of the 15 neuromas in the upper limb, pain was partially or completely relieved; in six of these there was some recovery of distal sensation. Partial pain relief was achieved in only two of the seven neuromas in the lower limb. The difference is attributed to the longer grafts required in the lower limb

Biopsies of lumbar multifidus muscles were obtained at operation on seventeen patients aged from fifteen to fifty-eight with lumbar spinal derangement, and further material was taken from the cadavers of three subjects aged from nineteen to fifty-one. Sections were prepared to show the presence of ATPase activity, so distinguishing Fast from Slow types of muscle fibre. The normal mosaic pattern arising from the intermingling of fibres from Fast and Slow motor units was seen in sections from cadaveric material and from many of the biopsies. With age and limited lumbar flexibility, the Fast fibres became relatively smaller but with increasing variation in size, suggesting a reduced capacity for phasic activity. The presence of positive root signs was associated with a greater proportion of Slow fibres, and in some patients with the occurrence of atrophied Fast fibres, giving rise to differences in the populations of the two fibres in neighbouring fascicles. The results suggest that multifidus adopts an increasingly postural role with advancing age and with disabling lesions of the lumbar spine

We describe a series of 20 patients with ununited fractures of the femoral neck following neglected trauma or failed primary internal fixation who were seen at a mean of 7.5 months (2 to 18) following injury. Open reduction and internal fixation of the fracture was performed in all patients, together with a myoperiosteal flap on the quadratus femoris muscle pedicle. Union occurred at a mean of 4.9 months (2 to 10) in all patients. The mean follow-up was for 70 months (14 to 144). There was no further progression in six of seven patients with pre-operative radiological evidence of osteonecrosis of the femoral head. One patient had delayed collapse and flattening of the femoral head ten years after union of the fracture, but remained asymptomatic. This study demonstrates the orthopaedic application of myoperiosteal grafting for inducing osteogenesis in a difficult clinical situation

A cortical bone graft on a muscle pedicle was taken from the ulna and transferred to bridge a complete defect of the radius in 16 dogs. In 14 control dogs a free graft was used, that is, one without a muscle pedicle. Union in the group with pedicle grafts was far superior to that in the group with free grafts, mainly because in those with pedicle grafts there was good subperiosteal new bone formation from active viable periosteum. In six of the pedicle grafts the viability of some osteocytes was retained over a 12-week period and in five the graft was almost completely replaced by new bone

The elbow flexor muscles of four men were trained using maximal voluntary isometric contractions. Thirty contractions a day were performed for five weeks. The four men and four control subjects were tested once a week: measurements of the supramaximally stimulated isometric twitch force, the time taken for the twitch force to peak and the tetanic force were carried out; simultaneously, measurements of the force of maximal voluntary isometric contraction and resistance to fatigue were made. The testing sessions produced no training effect on control subjects. Training produced a 20 per cent increase in the force of maximal voluntary isometric contraction after five weeks, but the forces of electrically evoked twitch and tetanus showed no increase. It was concluded that the increase in the force of maximal voluntary isometric contraction must be related to factors other than the force-generating capacity of the muscle fibres themselves

The release of prostaglandins E and F from the tibiae of rabbits and the surrounding muscle in vitro after fracture and pinning, or pinning alone, has been compared to the release from unoperated tissues. The fractured tibiae released significantly more prostaglandins E and F than the control tibiae three to 14 days after operation. The pinned tibiae also released more of the two prostaglandins, although this was significant only after 14 days. Consequently it was only around the third day that the fractured tibiae released significantly more prostaglandin E than the tibiae which had been pinned, but not fractured. Similar results were obtained for the release from the muscles surrounding the tibiae. Prostaglandins are important mediators of inflammation as well as potent stimulators of bone resorption. Their increased formation in response to fracture and pinning may stimulate the vascular changes, bone resorption and the proliferation of osteogenic cells observed after trauma to bone

1. Two cases of swelling in the popliteal fossa due to a local hypertrophy of the semimembranosus muscle are described and two further cases thought to be of similar nature are noted. 2. The swelling was soft, not tender, fairly well circumscribed, and without signs of inflammation. Its most characteristic feature was an increase in size and hardening of the swelling during active flexion of the knee. 3. This condition should be considered in differential diagnosis of swellings of the popliteal fossa

The protective effect of local hypothermia was studied in pig's limbs made ischaemic by long, repeated application of a pneumatic tourniquet. Twenty-one Landrace pigs were anaesthetised on two separate occasions six days apart and a pneumatic tourniquet at 500 mmHg pressure was applied to the same forelimb for three and two hours respectively. Ten of the pigs had local hypothermia from cold gel packs placed around the limb during the first tourniquet application; the other 11 had the ischaemic limb exposed to room temperature. In comparison with the normothermic limbs, the hypothermic ischaemic limbs had significant slowing of metabolism. The hypothermic limbs also showed less inflammatory response and a faster rate of recovery, both immediately after removal of the tourniquet, and by the end of the experiment, 10 days after the first tourniquet. Local hypothermia produced by this technique was shown to be safe and effective, while appearing to protect muscles exposed to prolonged tourniquet-induced ischaemia

1. The pathogenesis of recurrent anterior dislocation of the shoulder has been studied at operation and by experiments on cadavers. 2. Lesions of the subscapularis muscle leading to lengthening and laxity have been demonstrated. 3. This lengthening is the prime factor in producing instability of the shoulder; capsular and bony defects are no more than subsidiary causes. 4. Good results have been obtained by a procedure based on this theory of etiology