Consecutive bilateral proximal tibial fractures after minor sports trauma.

INTRODUCTION: Fractures of the proximal tibia are infrequent during childhood and adolescence. However, intra-articular fractures, growth plate separations and metaphyseal fractures do appear.

CASE REPORT: An obese adolescent male suffered from consecutive bilateral fractures of the tibia within 6 months of each after minor sports trauma. On the left side, the injury presented as a epiphyseal separation of the Salter-Harris I type; on the right side, as a transitional two-plane fracture. Both injuries were treated by percutaneous screwing and healed without any signs of posttraumatic growth disorder.

DISCUSSION: Although proximal tibial injuries are rare, they frequently seem to appear bilaterally after inadequate trauma. A causal connection to morphological changes prior to physeal closure can be assumed.