Abstract
Traumatic laceration of the tibialis anterior tendon is a rare finding. To the best
of our knowledge, 4 such cases have been reported in the surgical literature, and
3 of these were missed upon initial clinical examination. We present the case of a
26-year-old male motorcyclist who sustained an acute laceration of the tibialis anterior
tendon in association with closed fractures of the tibia and fibula. The laceration
was initially not included in the diagnosis, because weak ankle dorsiflexion was attributed
to antalgic guarding. The primary aim of this report is to emphasize the possibility
of tibialis anterior tendon laceration in association with closed fracture of the
tibia, and to encourage surgeons to maintain a high index of suspicion for this particular
defect. Furthermore, we encourage surgeons to undertake a meticulous physical examination
and, if warranted, obtain ancillary diagnostic images, such as magnetic resonance
images, in order to accurately diagnose and determine the optimal course of treatment.
Level of Clinical Evidence
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 11, 2009
Footnotes
Financial Disclosure: None reported.
Conflict of Interest: None reported.
Identification
Copyright
© 2010 American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
