Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2018 Jan-Feb;7(1):257-260.
doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_341_16.

Quadriceps tendon rupture

Subhadra Nori  1   2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Quadriceps tendon rupture

Subhadra Nori. J Family Med Prim Care. 2018 Jan-Feb.

Abstract

Acute knee pain is a frequently encountered problem in the clinical settings. In 2003, American Orthopedic Association recorded that 19.4 million people visited a physician because of a knee problem. Knee pain due to injuries is increasing even among the older population, as a greater number of persons are participating in recreational activities. The quadriceps tendon rupture is not a common condition among acute causes of knee pain. However, it can be quite debilitating. The usual clinical presentation includes a middle-aged person presenting with a history of fall accompanied by swelling and inability to extend the knee. Providers who are faced with this clinical situation should be able to recognize this condition sooner than later. It is very important that precise clinical decisions be made, so as to achieve best outcomes. This article reviews the etiology, epidemiology, clinical presentation, differential diagnosis, and management of quadriceps tendon rupture.

Keywords: Patellar tendon; quadriceps tendon; rupture.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
X-ray showing migration of patella due to quadriceps tendon rupture,case courtesy of http://radiopedia.org/”. From the case http://radiopedia.org/cases/11858
Figure 2
Figure 2
Magnetic resonance imaging of quadriceps tendon rupture. Yellow arrow pointing to the gap between the tendon and its insertion on the patella. http://radiopaedia.org/cases/quadriceps-tendon-rupture-3. Case courtesy of Dr. Ahmed Abd Rabou, Radiopaedia.org, rID: 22644
Figure 3
Figure 3
(a) Ultrasound of normal homogeneous fibrillary pattern of the quadriceps tendon (yellow arrow) (http://www.ultrasoundcases.info) (b) Ultrasound of rupture of quad tendon yellow arrow pointing to hematoma. Quadriceps tendon rupture longitudinal. ID:/34262-Afbeelding2.jpg (http://www.ultrasoundcases.info) The Netherlands
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Yepes H, Tang M, Morris SF, Stanish WD. Relationship between hypovascular zones and patterns of rupture of the quadriceps tendon. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 90:2135–41. - PubMed
    1. Clayton RAE, Court-Brown CM. The epidemiology of musculoskeletal tendinous and ligamentous injuries. Injury. 2008;39:1338–44. - PubMed
    1. Karistinos A, Paulos LE. “Ciprofloxacin-induced” bilateral rectus femoris tendon rupture. Clin J Sport Med. 2007;17:406–7. - PubMed
    1. Ferreti A. Epidemiology of jumper's knee. Sports Med. 1986;3:289–95. - PubMed
    1. Perfitt JS, Petrie MJ, Blundell CM, Davies MB. Acute quadriceps tendon rupture: A pragmatic approach to diagnostic imaging. Eur J Orthop Surg Traumatol. 2014;24:1237–41. - PubMed

Publication types