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Fractures of the Knee

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Fractures of the knee

A fractures of the knee is a break or crack in 1 or more of the bones in the knee joint. It may be just a bend or small crack in the bone, or the bone may break into pieces or shatter. Some fractures may stick out through the skin.

The bones in the knee include the upper leg bone (also called the thighbone or femur), the 2 lower leg bones (the tibia and the fibula), and the kneecap (patella).

NSOC knee specialists in Kenya can identify the many types of fractures that can occur in the bones that form the knee joint and help you increase your range of motion.

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Signs and symptoms of knee fractures

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  • Pain, swelling, bruising, or tenderness that happens right after the injury
  • Pain when the injured area is touched or that keeps you from putting weight on the leg
  • Trouble bending the knee
  • Pain made worse by movement
  • A grating feeling when the injured leg is moved and the broken bones grind against each other
  • Muscle spasms
  • A change in the shape of the leg

If you experience dizziness  caused by hypotension (low blood pressure) feel free to contact us at our Orthopedic urgent care at 0710573708 immediately.

Causes of fractures of the knee

Many fractures around the knee are caused by high energy trauma, such as falls from significant heights and motor vehicle collisions.

Other causes include:

  • sports activities
  • direct hits to the knee.
  • Osteoporosis causes decrease bone mass and less calcium deposits in bones of knee joint.Osteoporotic bones are weak and may often fracture
  • Patients suffering from calcium deficiency have a tendency to fracture knee joint following fall or direct trauma.
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Common Fractures of the Knee

Fractures of the knee include:

Distal Femur Fracture:The distal femur is part of the femur bone that flares out like the mouth of the funnel. A distal femur (top part of knee joint) fracture is a break in thighbone that occurs just above your knee joint.

Distal femur fractures most often occur either in older people whose bones are weak, or in younger people who have high energy injuries, such as from a car crash. In both the elderly and the young, the breaks may extend into the knee joint and may shatter the bone into many pieces.

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Patella (Kneecap) Fracture

A patellar fracture is a break in the patella, or kneecap, the small bone that sits at the front of your knee.

Because the patella acts as a shield for your knee joint, it is vulnerable to fracture if you fall directly onto your knee or hit it against the dashboard in a vehicle collision.

The common types of patella fractures are the open, comminuted, displaced and  stable fractures

More fractures of the knee

Fractures of the Proximal Tibia

A fracture, or break, in the shinbone just below the knee is called a proximal tibia fracture.
The proximal tibia is the upper portion of the bone where it widens to help form the knee joint.In addition to the broken bone, soft tissues (skin, muscle, nerves, blood vessels, and ligaments) may be injured at the time of the fracture.
Both the broken bone and any soft-tissue injuries must be treated together. In many cases, surgery is required to restore strength, motion, and stability to the leg, and reduce the risk for arthritis.
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Fractures of the knee, recovery after fractures of the knee, knee doctors , knee surgeons, fractures of the knee care

Growth Plate Fractures

Growth plates are the areas of active, new bone growth near the ends of bones.

The bones of children and adults share many of the same risks for injury. But because they are still growing, a child’s bones are also subject to a unique injury called a growth plate fracture.Because they are the last portion of a child’s bones to harden (ossify), growth plates are particularly vulnerable to fracture.

Most growth plate fractures happen from falling or twisting. Contact sports (like football or basketball) or fast-moving activities (like skateboarding, or biking) are common causes.

Powering motion

Diagnosis of fractures of the knee

Diagnosis is made through your medical history, physical examination which helps to evaluate symptoms such as swelling and tenderness of the knee with decreased range of movement and unwillingness to weight bear.

Other diagnostic imaging tests are X-rays are taken to know whether the bone is intact or broken. X-rays are also helpful to know the type and location of fracture. Your doctor may also recommend a computerized tomography (CT) scan to know the severity of fracture.

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Treatment of knee fractures at NSOC

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The treatment depends on which bone or bones are broken and the type of fracture.

Treatment options include non-surgical and surgical. Non-surgical treatment involves skeletal traction and use of casts and braces. Skeletal traction involves placement of pin into the bone in order to realign broken bones.

Rest, exercises and cold therapy is used as a conservative form of treatment to reduce your knee pain.

Direct application of ice covered with plastic or cloth left over knee joint for 20 to 30 minutes two or three times a day is beneficial before and after surgery.

Exercises include stretching exercises and swimming.

Surgery involves internal fixation, external fixation and knee joint replacement.

Internal Fixation

Plates & Screws Fixation: In this procedure your surgeon will reposition the broken bone ends into normal position and then uses special screws or metal plates on the outer surface of the bone to hold the bone fragments in place.

External Fixation

During the procedure, metal pins or screws are inserted into the middle of the femur and tibia and are attached to a device outside the skin to hold bone fragments in place to allow alignment and healing.

Knee Joint Replacement

This procedure is performed if you have an unstable displaced knee joint fracture of tibia or femur, comminuted fractures of tibia or femur and multiple fractures involving femur, tibia and patella.

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