The Incidence of Associated Intra-articular Knee Pathology With Concomitant Tibial Shaft Fractures Treated With Suprapatellar Nailing

Suprapatellar tibial nailing is gaining popularity throughout the orthopedic community for tibial shaft fractures, however the secondary effects of this technique on the articular cartilage of the knee is unknown. Additionally, the incidence of intra-articular knee pathology in the face of tibial shaft fractures has not been described in the orthopedic literature. An undiagnosed cruciate/collateral ligament injury can result in post-traumatic arthritis, as well as a delay in justified ligamentous reconstruction of the knee, causing further injury. Long term sequelae of now commonplace suprapatellar nailing on the patellofemoral joint of the knee have been sparsely elucidated in the literature.

The primary objective is to determine the consequences of suprapatellar tibial nailing on cartilage of the patellofemoral joint.

As a secondary objective, this study will seek to determine the incidence of intra-articular knee pathology following tibial shaft fractures in patients presenting to Orlando Regional Medical Center.