A tibial plateau fracture, the injury suffered Sunday night by Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, occurs when the ends of two leg bones knock together, with the round end of the thigh bone acting like a ramrod into the top of the shinbone, a Houston orthopedic surgeon said Monday.
Treatment for the injury, which has felled the likes of Yao Ming and Kobe Bryant, can range from a few weeks on crutches to surgery that includes the placement of a plate and screws, said Dr. Patrick McCulloch, an orphopedic sports medicine surgeon at Houston Methodist.
McCulloch said the injury affects the area at the top of the tibia where it goes into the knee.