AVULSION OF THE LESSER TROCHANTER*

Strong muscular contractions not uncommonly produce fractures of bone. An avulsion of the lesser trochanter of the femur belongs to this class and because of the rarity of this lesion, the following case is reported. G. B., aged 14, a colored schoolboy, entered Lakeside Hospital, April 20, 1925, corn-plaining of pain in the left hip. During a game of baseball, the patient had stopped abruptly at second base, and, while attempting to keep his body upright, experienced a sudden severe pain in the left hip which forced him to lie down. Although the injured leg would support the weight of the body, walking was very painful and he had to be carried from the field. He was brought directly to the hospital accident ward. The left thigh was held in ninety degree flexion and any attempt to straighten out the limb produced pain and muscle spasm. Other passive movements of the hip, however, could be performed if carried out slowly and carefully. There was no swelling, but a definite point of tenderness could be elicited when pressure was applied over the lesser trochanter. A determination of the muscular power about the hip was unsatisfactory because of the pain which active movements produced. The abductors were strong but the adductor