Sideswipe injury of the knee: The new face of an old foe?

Abstract

The term “sideswipe injury” has become synonymous and used interchangeably with the term “traffic elbow.” However, with the continuous rise in the use of the tricycle as a means of public transportation in some developing countries, a rise in sideswipe injuries of various severities is being experienced. We report a case of sideswipe injury to the left knee region of a 45-year-old female who was a passenger in the backseat of a tricycle. She sustained a severe injury to the soft tissues and bones around the knee and the popliteal region, with disruption of the neurovascular bundles in the popliteal fossa necessitating an above-knee amputation.

Sideswipe Injury to the Leg – A Hefty Price for an Autorickshaw Ride: A Case Report

“…Although this scenario is a common sight in developing countries, sideswipe injuries of the lower limb are infrequently reported in literature. We could come across only one such case previously reported, where the patient had an open knee injury with neurovascular disruption necessitating an amputation [6]. Here, we describe a case of sideswipe injury to leg resulting in an open fibular fracture.…”