Operative Treatment for a Painful Nonunion Avulsion Fracture of the Femoral Attachment of the Medial Collateral Ligament in a Teenager: A Case Report

JBJS Case Connect. 2019 Apr-Jun;9(2):e0281. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.CC.17.00281.

Abstract

Case: A 13-year-old female gymnast presented with medial knee pain despite several months of nonoperative management for a valgus hyperextension injury resulting in a bony avulsion fracture of the medial collateral ligament (MCL) origin at the medial femoral condyle. The MCL was repaired via open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) with a single 4.0 mm cannulated screw and washer.

Conclusions: ORIF is a successful treatment option for extra-articular bony MCL origin avulsion fractures that fail conservative treatment. Following surgical intervention and structured physical therapy, our patient had full return to sports at 10 months.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Aftercare
  • Bone Screws
  • Female
  • Femur / surgery
  • Fracture Fixation, Internal / instrumentation
  • Fractures, Avulsion / surgery*
  • Fractures, Ununited / complications*
  • Humans
  • Knee Injuries / complications
  • Knee Joint / diagnostic imaging
  • Knee Joint / pathology
  • Knee Joint / surgery*
  • Ligaments, Articular / pathology*
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods
  • Pain / etiology
  • Treatment Outcome