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. 2025 Apr 22;12(5):533.
doi: 10.3390/children12050533.

Tibial Tubercle Avulsion Fracture in Young Athletes Surgically Treated: Mid-Long Term Result and Comparison

Lorenzo Moretti  1 , Carlo Amati  2 , Alessandro Geronimo  1 , Andrea Michele Abbaticchio  1 , Maria Paola Miolla  2 , Daniela Dibello  2 , Giuseppe Solarino  1
Affiliations

Tibial Tubercle Avulsion Fracture in Young Athletes Surgically Treated: Mid-Long Term Result and Comparison

Lorenzo Moretti et al. Children (Basel). .

Abstract

Objectives: Tibial apophysis avulsion fracture is an unusual injury in young pediatric athletes. The mechanism of injury is often related to sports (i.e football and basketball). Fifteen patients who had this kind of fracture underwent surgical Open Reduction and Internal Fixation (ORIF) with two or three cannulated screws and tendon stripping. In this kind of injury and treatment, one of the most important concerns is the recovery of the extensor apparatus strength of the lower limb. Materials and Methods: We followed up the patients for 12 months, performing biomechanical tests and a kinetic analysis to evaluate the activation of the leg muscles such as rectus femoris, vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, and semitendinosus muscle fibers and compared them with the contralateral healthy limb. Results: The results showed that there was an almost complete recovery of muscle strength activation without any statistically significant differences compared to the healthy limb. Conclusions: This surgical treatment appears to be safe and effective in the treatment of tibial apophysis fractures in young athletes, since this type of surgical treatment does not compromise the recovery of the extensor apparatus strength and/or return to sport of the lower limb in case of tibial apophysis fractures in young athletes.

Keywords: surgery treatment; tibial tubercle avulsion; young athletes.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Pre-operative X rays (lateral view).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Pre-operative X rays (antero-posterior view).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Intra-operative clinical images of the surgical technique.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Post-operative X rays (Lateral view).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Post-operative X rays (antero-posterior view).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Phases of the monopodalic squat of surgically treated leg.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Phases of the monopodalic squat of healthy leg.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Muscle activity in leg extension of surgically treated leg.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Muscle activity in leg extension in healthy leg.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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