Fracture and nonunion of the proximal tibia below an osteoarthritic knee: treatment by long stemmed total knee replacement.

Proximal tibial fractures below an osteoarthritic knee have a greater risk of nonunion. Treatment by cast immobilization alone is problematic. Internal fixation alone means the patient will remain handicapped because of the knee. Total knee replacement with a long-stemmed prosthesis treats both the fracture and the arthritic knee.