To-day contracture and ankylosis of the hip joint in a right angle is almost unknown in the industrial part of the world due
to modern medical treatment.
Most descriptions of this subject are primarily to be found in the literature of last century. Here, the causes mentioned
were trauma, congenital disorders and most often infectious diseases such as osteomyelitis and tuberculosis.
A total ankylosis of the joint is described as the result of immobility spanning from only a few months to several years.
A 90° flexion contracture is the “normal” reaction to pain in the hip joint. With the femur kept immobile, the result will
be reduced mobility or anchylosis of the joint around this position, whatever the cause may be.
A total of five skeletons from Denmark ranging from 3, 500 years B.C. to 1,300 A.D. have changes in the hip joint resulting
in either 1) a very restricted movement with the femur more or less fixed in a horizontal position forming a right angle with
the rest of the body, or 2) a complete anchylosis in the same position.
The hip deformations in the five cases appear to be due to a variety of causes. Although we are well aware of the diagnostic
difficulties we venture to put forward some etiological and differential diagnostic suggestions.
Key words Palaeopathology - anchylosis - contracture - hip diseases