Duncan Ely Test

Published August 27, 2026 Read time 1 min read Readers 32
Duncan Ely Test

What is the "Duncan Ely Test" used for?

  • Duncan Ely Test or Ely test is used to assess the rectus femoris muscle tightness at the hip joint.

How to perform the "Duncan Ely Test"?

  • The patient is positioned prone with knees kept in extension. The knee joint is passively flexed on the side of examination by the examiner.
  • Normally, there is no motion of the hip or pelvis while the knee flexes completely.

What is the positive result?

  • In patients with rectus femoris contracture, complete passive knee flexion results in involuntary flexion at the hip, elevating the buttocks of the examination table.
  • The other side is tested for comparison.

Test Accuracy

  • Sensitivity: 56-59 %.
  • Specificity: 64-85 %.

References

  • Duncan Ely Test – Orthofixar
  • Lee, S.Y., Sung, K.H., Chung, C.Y., Lee, K.M., Kwon, S.-S., Kim, T.G., Lee, S.H., Lee, I.H. and Park, M.S. (2015), Reliability and validity of the Duncan-Ely test for assessing rectus femoris spasticity in patients with cerebral palsy. Dev Med Child Neurol, 57: 963-968. https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.12761
  • Marks MC, Alexander J, Sutherland DH, Chambers HG. Clinical utility of the Duncan-Ely test for rectus femoris dysfunction during the swing phase of gait. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2003 Nov;45(11):763-8. doi: 10.1017/s0012162203001415. PMID: 14580132.