Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Simultaneous bilateral tibial tubercle avulsion fracture in a basketball player

  • Knee
  • Published:
Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy Aims and scope

Abstract

A 16-year-old male basketball player had sustained an injury upon landing after a forceful jump. Plain radiography demonstrated bilateral tibial tubercle avulsion fracture involving partially proximal physis. Open reduction and internal fixation were performed at once. Continuous passive motion was started immediately after operation, and the patient was ambulated with hinged knee extension braces. After 27 months follow-up his knees completely regained normal range of motion except a 3° extension loss in the left knee. He resumed all daily functional activities (Lysholm functional score of 99), but he slightly lost his level of activity (Tegner activity level from 7 to 6). No angular deformity at all on the frontal plane was determined upon radiological examination. Tibial slope angles were symmetrical and within the normal range. There were visible small bone fragments inside the left patellar tendon.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 4.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Bolesta MJ, Fitch R (1986) Tibial tubercle avulsions. J Pediatr Orthop 6:186–192

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Borsch-Madsen P (1954) On symmetrical bilateral fractures of the tuberositas tibiae and eminentia intercondyloidea. Acta Orthop Scand 24:44

    Google Scholar 

  3. Chow SP, Lam JJ, Leong JC (1990) Fracture of the tibial tubercle in the adolescent. J Bone Joint Surg Br 2:231–24

    Google Scholar 

  4. Frankl U, Wasilewski SA, Healy WL (1990) Avulsion fracture of the tibial tubercle with avulsion of the patellar ligament. Report of two cases. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2:1411–1413

    Google Scholar 

  5. Gebuhr P, Lyndrup P (1987) Avulsion fractures of the tibial tuberosity in adolescents. A report of three cases and review of the literature. Acta Orthop 53:59–62

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Hajdu S, Kaltenecker G, Schwendenwein E, Vecsei V (2000) Apophyseal injuries of the proximal tibial tubercle. Int Orthop 24:279–281

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Henard DC, Bobo RT (1983) Avulsion fractures of the tibial tubercle in adolescents. Clin Orthop 177:182–187

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Inoue G, Kuboyama K, Shido T (1991) Avulsion fractures of the proximal tibial epiphysis. Br J Sports Med 25:52–56

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Kocher MS, Micheli LJ (2001) The pediatric knee- evaluation and treatment. In: Insall JN, Scott WN (eds) Surgery of the knee. Churchill Livingstone, Philadelphia, pp 1363–1364

  10. Lepse PS, McCarthy RE, McCollough FL (1988) Simultaneous bilateral avulsion fractures of the tibial tuberosity; a case report. Clin Orthop 229:232–235

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Lysholm J, Gillquist J (1982) Evaluation of knee ligament surgery results with special emphasis on use of a scoring scale. Am J Sports Med 10:150–154

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Maar DC, Kernek CB, Pierce RO (1988) Simultaneous bilateral tibial tubercle avulsion fracture. Orthopedics 11:1599–1601

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Mankin HJ (1993) The classic: lesions of the tibial tubercle occurring during adolescence (by Osgood RB. Boston Med J 148:114, 1903). Clin Orthop 286:4–6

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Mirly HL, Olix ML (1996) Bilateral simultaneous avulsion fractures of the tibial tubercle. Orthopedics 19:66–68

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Mosier SM, Staniski CL, Levine RS (2000) Simultaneous bilateral tibial tubercle avulsion fracture. Orthopedics 23:1106–1108

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Ogden JA, Tross RB, Murphy JM (1980) Fractures of the tibial tuberosity in adolescents. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2:205–215

    Google Scholar 

  17. Ryu RK, Debenham JO (1985) An unusual avulsion fracture of the proximal tibial epiphysis. Case report and proposed addition to the Watson-Jones classification. Clin Orthop 194:181–184

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Shelton WR, Canale ST (1979) Fractures of the tibia through the proximal tibial epiphyseal cartilage. J Bone Joint Surg Am 1:167–173

    Google Scholar 

  19. Tegner Y, Lysholm J, Odensten M, Gillquist J (1988) Evaluation of cruciate ligament injuries. A review. Acta Orthop Scand 59:336–341

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Trickey EL (1982) Injuries of the knee. In: Wilson JN (ed) Watson-Jones fractures and joint injuries, vol 2. Churchill Livingstone, New York, pp 1032–1072

  21. Watson-Jones R (1976) Fractures and joint injuries, 5th edn, vol 2. Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sports Medicine, Ege University School of Medicine, 35100 , Bornova, Izmir, Turkey

    Metin Ergün & Cengizhan Özgürbüz

  2. Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Ege University School of Medicine, 35100, Bornova, Izmir, Turkey

    Emin Taşkıran

Authors
  1. Metin Ergün
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Emin Taşkıran
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Cengizhan Özgürbüz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Emin Taşkıran.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ergün, M., Taşkıran, E. & Özgürbüz, C. Simultaneous bilateral tibial tubercle avulsion fracture in a basketball player. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 11, 163–166 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-003-0342-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-003-0342-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation