UMEM Educational Pearls

Title: Pelvic avulsion fractures

Category: Orthopedics

Posted: 9/10/2016 by Brian Corwell, MD
Click here to contact Brian Corwell, MD

Young athletes, especially around the age of puberty, are at higher risk for pelvic avulsion fractures

Often seen in sports that require sprinting, rapid changes in movement or jumping

Caused by sudden, forceful contraction of the muscles of the abdominal, the hip and thigh or the hamstring

Avulsion fractures can occur at many areas of the pelvis.

A mnemonic is: Alabama’s stoned rappers got ill hunting armadillos

· Iliac crest: Abdominal muscles

· Anterior superior iliac crest: Sartorius

· Anterior inferior iliac crest: Rectus femoris

· Greater trochanter: Gluteal muscles

· Lesser trochanter: Iliopsoas **(rare in adults)

· Ischial tuberosity: Hamstrings

· Pubic symphysis: Adductor group

http://roentgenrayreader.blogspot.com/2010/07/pelvic-avulsion-fractures.html

** Isolated nontraumatic avulsion fractures of the lesser trochanter in adults is a pathognomonic sign of metastatic disease

This site has some good images of common injury patterns

http://radiopaedia.org/articles/apophyseal-avulsion-fractures-of-the-pelvis-and-hip

http://roentgenrayreader.blogspot.com/2010/07/pelvic-avulsion-fractures.html