Percutaneous dowel bone grafting of a patella nonunion in a football player.

摘要

The primary function of the patella is to increase the efficacy of the quadriceps muscle by elevating the extensor mechanism from the knee's axis of rotation. This provides a mechanical advantage by increasing the moment arm, thus allowing the knee to tolerate the substantial forces required by activities such as walking, rising from a chair, or jumping.1 This mechanism is often disrupted in the case of a patella fracture, but if the patellar retinaculum remains intact after a transverse fracture, the extensor mechanism of the knee can continue to function.