Quadriceps Tendon Rupture in an Adolescent Athlete

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Sports Medicine
• Adolescent Sports Injuries

Background:

• Quadriceps tendon ruptures are uncommon, typically affecting middle-aged to elderly men with comorbidities.
• Adolescent cases are rare and often associated with trauma or underlying conditions.

Observation:

• A 17-year-old healthy male baseball player sustained a quadriceps tendon tear during deceleration.
• The patient presented with an inability to perform a straight-leg raise preoperatively.
• This is the first reported case in an adolescent without prior knee trauma or mechanism injury.

Findings:

• Surgical repair involved mobilizing the tendon and anchoring it to the patella's superior pole.
• Postoperative recovery included full range of motion at 3 months.
• The patient returned to team training at 5 months post-surgery.

Implications:

• Suggests microtrauma from training and sudden load changes may contribute to tendon rupture in young athletes.
• Highlights the need for sports medicine practitioners to consider this injury in active adolescents.
• Emphasizes the importance of timely surgical intervention for optimal recovery and return to sport.