Consecutive bilateral proximal tibial fractures after minor sports trauma

• Published in: European journal of pediatric surgery Vol. 19; no. 1; p. 41
• Main Authors: Kraus, R, Berthold, L D, Heiss, C, Lässig, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-02-2009
• Subjects: Adolescent; Athletic Injuries - complications; Athletic Injuries - diagnostic imaging; Athletic Injuries - surgery; Casts, Surgical; Fracture Fixation, Internal - methods; Fracture Healing; Growth Plate - diagnostic imaging; Growth Plate - surgery; Humans; Knee Injuries - complications; Knee Injuries - diagnostic imaging; Knee Injuries - etiology; Knee Injuries - surgery; Male; Obesity - complications; Radiography; Risk Factors; Salter-Harris Fractures; Soccer; Tibial Fractures - diagnostic imaging; Tibial Fractures - etiology; Tibial Fractures - surgery
• ISSN: 1439-359X
• DOI: 10.1055/s-2008-1038443

Fractures of the proximal tibia are infrequent during childhood and adolescence. However, intra-articular fractures, growth plate separations and metaphyseal fractures do appear.
An obese adolescent male suffered from consecutive bilateral fractures of the tibia within 6 months of each after minor sports trauma. On the left side, the injury presented as a epiphyseal separation of the Salter-Harris I type; on the right side, as a transitional two-plane fracture. Both injuries were treated by percutaneous screwing and healed without any signs of posttraumatic growth disorder.
Although proximal tibial injuries are rare, they frequently seem to appear bilaterally after inadequate trauma. A causal connection to morphological changes prior to physeal closure can be assumed.