Knee fracture may be treated with brace and crutches
Q. I am 24 years old and I had an ACL reconstruction to my left knee eight years ago.
I did well after surgery and have been playing sports without symptoms for the last seven years.
Last week, I was running to first base, and collided with another player. I felt my knee pop and crunch. My doctor ordered an MRI scan that showed the ACL was still intact, but I had a lateral tibial plateau fracture that was out of place and needed surgery.
I was put into a splint, given crutches and scheduled for surgery. What is a tibial plateau fracture and why is surgery required?
A. The end of the thigh bone closer to the knee is known as the femoral condyle, and the upper part of the lower leg below the knee is known as the tibial plateau. The ends of these bones make up the knee joint surface.
If the tibial plateau is crushed or split and it is not repaired anatomically, pain and arthritis would eventually occur. This is particularly important in someone as young and active as yourself.
In a fracture where the bones are not out of place, the patient can usually be treated with a brace and crutches with limited weight bearing.
From your description, your orthopedic surgeon will likely need to fix the fracture by putting it back together as close to normal as possible and holding the pieces in place with a metal plate and screws. The doctor may also need to add some form of bone graft to fill any defects and aid in healing.
Post operative, you will still need crutches, a brace and a long period of physical therapy and rehabilitation. You may want to have a more extensive discussion with your surgeon to better understand your injury, the surgery and the subsequent rehabilitation.