Assessment of the Functional Capacity of Individuals Submitted to Surgical Treatment after Tibial Plateau Fracture

168 INTRODUCTION The knee is an intermediate joint of the lower limb, lying between both the longer lever arms of the human body (femur and tibia)(1,2). Despite of its complex mechanism and structures, it plays an important role for daily life activities. Under a functional point of view, it is essential for ambulation, keeping a bipodal stance, and for performing basic movements such as gait, run, sedestation and squatting. For being so required, this joint usually experiences function and stability changes(1,2). Trauma injuries and its consequences account for 80% of the pathologies affecting the knee joint(3). Tibial plateau fractures involve the proximal joint surface of the tibia that supports the femoral condyle on the same side. Lateral and/ or medial plateaus can be involved. Most of the injuries affect the lateral plateau alone (55-70%). Injuries of the medial plateau alone occur in 10-23% of the cases, while the involvement of both plateaus (bicondylar injuries) is found in 10-30% of the cases(4). The most common mechanisms of trauma are divided into falls, traffic accidents and sports injuries. Studies reported that car accidents account for 40% 60% of tibial plateau fractures(5-8). Recently, the analysis of 1,426 tibial plateau fractures showed that 45% occur as a result of accidents with pedestrians, 13% car accidents, 17% high falls, 12% result from slips and sprains, while sports activities represented 3%, and motorcycle, bicycle and other accidents accounted for 10% 9). Valgus or varus forces with axial load are responsible for most