Types of Knee Fractures: Symptoms and Management
The Knee is one of the most used joints in our body, and being made up of different bones, there are different types of fractures classified according to the injured bone, which can be: the femur, the tibia, the fibula, or the patella.
The main cause of these fractures is direct trauma, both in sports practice and in traffic accidents or falls. Its recovery is slow and requires great commitment from the patient for a successful recovery.
There are different types of fractures, which we will describe below:
Patellar fracture: It is the most common of fractures and involves the patella (kneecap), the bone that fits directly over the lower part of the femur. The types of patellar fractures can range from a superficial crack to the division of the bone into 2 or more parts. The types of patellar fracture are: Stable, displaced, comminuted, or open fractures.
Femoral condyle fracture:
The condyles are located at the lower end of the femur; there are 2, called medial and lateral. This type of fracture occurs in falls or jumps from a great height where the condyles impact directly on the upper right end of the tibia since the menisci cannot absorb and cushion such great pressure. There are different types, including: Supracondylar, intercondylar, condylar, and coronal.
Tibial Eminence:
This fracture occurs at the upper end of the tibia when it receives a blow, such as in a traffic accident, or if the knee is overextended, as great tension is produced on the anterior cruciate ligament. It is more common among adolescents due to their skeletal immaturity.
Tibial tuberosity:
This fracture also occurs at the top of the tibia. When it happens, the place where the tibial tuberosity (the tissue that supports the patella at its lower part) enters is fractured and therefore ceases to be in its place.
Tibial plateau:
It is the upper part of the tibia and is the most important and critical weight-bearing area in the body, so a fracture in it represents a great risk of complications. It is divided into 6 different types depending on the location and the number of fragments.
Symptoms:
The main symptoms of a knee fracture, regardless of the location or the affected bone, are sharp and strong pain, joint swelling, inability to walk or bear weight on the leg, bruising due to joint effusion, and in some cases, quite clear and obvious deformities.
Management:
Depending on the severity of the fracture, its depth, number of fragments, the location, and the affected bone, a treatment plan is drawn up that can range from the use of splints or casts to surgeries for the implantation of internal or external fixation devices to keep the parts aligned, and in some cases, grafts or allografts.
