Simultaneous Rupture of Patella Tendon With Tibial Tubercle Avulsion Fracture, Anterior Cruciate Ligament Avulsion Fracture of the Tibial Spine in a Skeletally Mature Patient: A Case Report

M. Craig McMains, Sohrab Virk, Erica Fisk, Olukemi Fajolu and David C. Flanigan*

Simultaneous Rupture of Patella Tendon With Tibial Tubercle Avulsion Fracture, Anterior Cruciate Ligament Avulsion Fracture of the Tibial Spine in a Skeletally Mature Patient: A Case Report.

We describe a patient that had the first reported case of a patella tendon rupture with a tibial tubercle avulsion fracture and an anterior cruciate ligament avulsion fracture of the tibial eminence. The patient was a 19-year-old skeletally mature collegiate athlete who sustained the above injuries after falling from his bicycle.

The patient was a 19-year-old male who presented to the emergency department with an initial chief complaint of left knee pain. He was a college student on the intramural water polo team. On the day of his injury, the patient was riding his bicycle when he lost control and fell. He states he was riding with no hands when his left knee hit his handle bar. His leg then was caught on the ground as he attempted to plant and was internally rotated. The patient denied landing directly on the knee.

Immediately after the accident he was unable to ambulate, denied any other complaints at this time, and was otherwise in excellent health, with no past medical history. On physical examination,
the patient was a well-developed and muscular adult male lying comfortably in his bed with no apparent distress. Upon evaluation of his knee, there was moderate swelling and effusion present, with no evidence of an open wound. The inferior patella tendon was noted to have a large palpable defect. Despite a good effort on his part, the patient did not tolerate any range of motion to his knee.

 

Sport Exerc Med Open J. 2015; 1(1): 22-26. doi: 10.17140/SEMOJ-1-104