AMSSM Home
AMSSM On FaceBook AMSSM On Twitter AMSSM On Linkedin
 

Knee-d The Day: A D1 Football Player With Acute Knee Pain - Page #1
 

Author: Aliza Williams, DO
Co Author #1: Zoe J Foster, MD, FAAFP
Senior Editor: Christian Fulmer, DO, FAMSSM
Editor: Adam Lewno, DO

Patient Presentation:
18-year-old D1 collegiate football player presented to training room with inability to bear weight on his left leg. He stated that he took a lateral step at practice during a lineman drills and felt a sudden severe pain in proximal tibia. He denied feeling a pop and reported no numbness or tingling in the lower extremity. Due to his pain and inability to weight bear he was transported to the emergency department for imaging and evaluation.

History:
Past surgical history was notable for a left lateral release, medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction, and tibial tuberosity osteotomy (37 weeks prior to current presentation) after a history of recurrent patellar dislocations. At that time, he was treated with aggressive post-operative physical therapy, teriparatide, and vitamin D supplementation given a history of mild vitamin D deficiency. Additionally, he had endorsed intermittent tibial pain at the 30-, 32-, and 34-week post-operative evaluations suspected to be related to routine healing. He had returned to progressive contact practice three weeks prior to presentation.

Physical Exam:
Vitals: Afebrile but hypertensive and tachycardiac prior to and during evaluation in emergency department.
General: Acute distress, and tearful, holding leg.
Vascular: Posterior tibial pulses 2+, equal bilaterally.
Musculoskeletal: Moderate swelling over left tibial tuberosity. Unable to assess knee range of motion or specialty tests due to pain.
Neurologic: Neurologically intact. Unable to assess reflexes due to pain and guarding.
Skin: No erythema, bruising or petechiae. Post-surgical scarring noted on anterior and lateral left knee.
Psych: Tearful while discussing injury and possible implications for his future.

Click here to continue. Challenge yourself by writing down a broad differential diagnosis before moving to the next slide.

NOTE: For more information, please contact the AMSSM, 4000 W. 114th Street, Suite 100, Leawood, KS 66211 (913) 327-1415.
 

UPCOMING EVENTS


_________________________________

11/19-11/22/2026
2026 AMSSM/OHSU Introductory &/or Diagnostic/Interventional Sports US Course

_________________________________

12/04-12/06/2026
2026 Advanced Team Physician Course

_________________________________

4/16-4/21/2027
2027 AMSSM Annual Meeting

FIND A SPORTS DOC

Please enter a search term relevant to the search type. For US States - use only letter abbreviations.

Choose Search Type

Zip Code: 

 Choose Search Radius: 

© The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine
4000 W. 114th Street, Suite 100
Leawood, KS 66211
Phone: 913.327.1415


Website created by the computer geek