GLOSSARY

An avulsion fracture is a fracture in which a tendon or ligament pulls off a fragment of bone at its attachment, separating it from the rest of the bone.

Mechanism

It results from a sudden, forceful muscle contraction, especially in a stretched position or during eccentric contraction, or from sudden ligament traction in a sprain; when the tendon’s attachment is stronger than the bone, the bone breaks.

At-Risk Groups

Adolescent athletes are at greatest risk, because the apophyses (growth centres of the tendon-attachment prominences) have not yet closed and are weaker than the tendons.

Common Sites