Rehabilitation of a 60-year-old Woman’s Tibial plateau fracture

Deepiksha Chouhan, Shivani Uttamchandani, Mithushi Deshmukh*

Ravi Nair Physiotherapy College, Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences, Wardha, Maharashtra, India

ABSTRACT

Tibial plateau fracture is one of the commonest fractures which leads to the break in the continuity of the upper part of the tibia (shinbone) that involves the knee joint. It involves either lateral tibial condyle or medial tibial condyle or both. This fracture interferes with the normal functioning of the body in day-to-day life. Therefore, physiotherapy rehabilitation after surgery is essential to get back to normal functioning. A 60-year-old female who slipped from a two-wheeler started experiencing severe pain & swelling around the knee joint. Her relatives brought her to Acharya Vinoba Bhave Rural Hospital (AVBRH), Sawangi, Wardha, Maharashtra. X-ray was done and she was diagnosed with lateral tibial condyle fracture (tibial plateau fracture) and then underwent open reduction internal fixation with plate osteosynthesis. Later, she was referred for physiotherapy rehabilitation, which aimed to restore mobility, regain full range of motion, develop muscle strength and build up to weight-bearing. The tibial plateau fracture is a form of fracture with a low occurrence and is a complicated fracture to treat.The above case study concludes that a traditional surgical procedure combined with timely planned physiotherapy rehabilitation contributed to progressive improvement in functional goals, which is an important factor in achieving a good recovery in such post-operative cases.

Keywords:

Tibial plateau fracture, Schatzker classification, post-operative, physiotherapy, rehabilitation