Causes

How do fractures of the knee commonly happen?

There is a great variety of patterns of injury to the knee and a great variety of accidents which may cause knee fractures. Motor vehicle accidents (MVA) may cause patellar fractures or fracture dislocations, especially when the flexed knee impacts into the dashboard. MVA may also cause severe supracondylar fractures. Falls from a height would be more likely to cause a tibial plateau fracture as the weight drives the femur into the tibia. Twisting and bending injuries are more common with sports and these can cause any of the avulsion fractures or osteochondral fractures described.

In the elderly supracondylar fractures and plateau fractures are considered fragility fractures. These fractures may have occurred as a result of osteoporosis. In addition to fixing the fracture, measures should be taken to reduce the risk of falling and the degree of osteoporosis in the future.