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Stress Fractures of the Patella

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Stress Fractures in Athletes

Abstract

Patella stress fractures are very rare. Approximately two out of 10,000 athletes presenting to a sports medicine clinic will have a patella stress fracture. A patella stress fracture usually presents with a history of weeks to months of progressively worsening anterior knee pain. The athlete’s training regimen may be increasing in intensity and involve distance running, repetitive jumping (basketball), or repetitive kicking (soccer). The athlete may note a “pop” if the stress fracture acutely displaces. Transverse patella stress fractures usually occur in the distal 1/3 of the patella. All reported cases of longitudinal stress fractures have occurred in the lateral facet and have been associated with distance running. Radiographs are frequently normal. An MRI is preferred to confirm the diagnosis. Once a patella stress fracture has been diagnosed, the treatment is similar to the treatment of other stress fractures of the lower extremity. One should avoid loading of the bone, and keep progression of activities in a pain-free progression.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Minnesota, 2450 Riverside Avenue, Suite R200, Minneapolis, MN, 55454, USA

    Gregory A. Brown MD, PhD & Elizabeth A. Arendt MD

  2. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, North Shore Hospital, 124 Shakespeare Road, Westlake, Auckland, 0622, New Zealand

    Mark R. Stringer MBChB

Authors
  1. Gregory A. Brown MD, PhD
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  2. Mark R. Stringer MBChB
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  3. Elizabeth A. Arendt MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elizabeth A. Arendt MD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Assistant Professor, Department of Orthopedics, Team Physician, Department of Athletics, Physician Lead, Endurance Medicine, Sports Medicine Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA

    Timothy L. Miller

  2. Judson Wilson Professor, Department of Orthopedics, Head Team Physician, Department of Athletics, Executive Director, Sports Medicine Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA

    Christopher C. Kaeding

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Brown, G.A., Stringer, M.R., Arendt, E.A. (2015). Stress Fractures of the Patella. In: Miller, T., Kaeding, C. (eds) Stress Fractures in Athletes. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09238-6_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09238-6_9

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-09237-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-09238-6

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