Joe Paterno's Knee Injury

Joe Paterno, head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions football team, injured a bone in his leg after being struck by a player near the sideline of this past weekend's game against the Wisconsin Badgers. Paterno injured the tibial plateau, the top of the shin bone just below the knee joint. Paterno also injured two ligaments in his knee. Paterno underwent surgery shortly after the injury for his tibial plateau fracture, and he is expected to miss at least several weeks to months of sideline action.

The image to the right is a x-ray of a typical tibial plateau fracture. Image © Jonathan Cluett, M.D.

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