Knee Fractures

What are knee fractures?

A knee or patellar fracture is a superficial or deep break in the tiny bone that rests at the front of the knee. The patella is considered a “shield” since it is created to protect the knee from severe damage such as a fracture. However, this bone, too, is susceptible to breaking when falling directly on your knee or when you hit your knee against something during a motor vehicle collision or accident.

The patella may break in several ways. For example, a knee fracture could be a standard fracture whereby the bone breaks in half or many different fragments. A fracture may affect any part of the bone, such as the top half, middle or lower portion of the bone.

What are the signs?

Typical signs of a patellar fracture are swelling and pain that occurs in the front part of the knee.

Other signs include the following:

• Bruising over the front of the knee
• Inability to extend the knee
• Cannot walk or stand properly

What are the causes of knee fractures?

A patellar fracture is likely to occur as a result of traumatic injuries such as:

• A direct fall on the knee
• The sudden impact from a car crash or injury that affects the knee
• When the quadriceps muscle contracts suddenly, the patella may break

How does Dr du Toit treat knee fractures?

Dr du Toit can treat the patellar fracture if it is non-displaced non-surgically by means of the following:

• A cast or splinting of the leg can promote the healing of the broken bits of bone.
• Limiting weight-bearing activities should be between six to eight weeks.

If the fracture is displaced, Dr du Toit performs the following procedures:

• For a transverse fracture, a two-part break in the bone can be repaired using wires, pins or screws and a tension band.
• When the broken pieces of bone are too tiny to be repaired, your orthopaedic surgeon is required to remove these fragments. Afterwards, the lax patellar tendon is reconnected to the bone.