Provider: Moravian Museum, Brno, Czech Republic

TY  - JOUR
JO  - Anthropologie (Brno)
TI  - ATYPICAL EXTENSIVE MYOSITIS OSSIFICANS
ON THE PELVIC BONE IN THE EARLY MODERN
TO MODERN CEMETERY IN JIHLAVA (CZECHIA)
AU  - Vaňatková K
AU  - Vymazalová K
AU  - Vargová L
AU  - Kuklová K
AU  - Těsnohlídek J
AU  - Kochan Š
AU  - Mařík I
AU  - Vopálenský M
AU  - Adámková I
AU  - Zajíček A
AU  - Pračková I
Y1  - 2026
VL  - 64
IS  - 2
PB  - Moravian Museum, Brno, Czech Republic
SN  - 0323-1119
SP  - 0
EP  - 0
KW  - Czechia – Muscle ossification – Paleopathology – Rectus femoris
N2  - 
N2  - During an archaeological excavation in 2023 in Jihlava (Czechia), a section of a former municipal cemetery, in operation from 1558 to 1869, was uncovered. In total, the skeletal remains of 555 individuals were recovered.
Due to repeated reuse of the grave cuts, the assemblage comprised both articulated skeletons and isolated disarticulated
elements within the backfill. Among these finds, an isolated left pelvic bone belonging to an adult male, estimated to be
approximately 50 years old at death, was identified.
The pelvic bone exhibits an extensive, well-formed bony projection originating near the anterior inferior iliac spine
(measuring 71.9 mm in length). Based on its location, macro-morphological characteristics, and structural appearance, the lesion was diagnosed as post-traumatic myositis ossificans affecting the origin of the rectus femoris muscle (a component
of the quadriceps femoris complex). The finding is exceptional primarily due to the extraordinary size of the ossified
mass and the unusual trajectory of the ossified muscle tissue.
The spatial orientation of the lesion suggests that the affected muscle solidified while the lower limb was maintained
in a long-term flexed and abducted posture at the hip joint. This extensive ossification would have severely compromised hip joint mobility, likely causing chronic pain, altered biomechanics, and significant functional impairment of the individual's locomotion. This case provides valuable insights into the long-term progression and physical impact of severe unmanaged soft-tissue trauma in historical populations.
ER  -