Intramedullary nailing of tibial shaft fractures distal to total knee arthroplasty.

Abstract

Tibial shaft fractures distal to total knee arthroplasty are rare, but they are likely to become more common with the increasing number of arthroplasty procedures being performed. These fracture patterns have been treated in the past either with closed reduction and casting/bracing or with open reduction internal fixation using plates. Weight-bearing precautions in the elderly patient population can affect patient disposition, and weight bearing on extramedullary fixation can lead to early hardware failure. We present a series of nailing techniques that can be used for tibial fractures distal to a well-fixed total knee arthroplasty that avoids the tibial baseplate, provides stable fracture fixation, and allows for early weight bearing.