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Quadriceps tendon rupture is an uncommon injury that usually occurs in middle-aged and elderly men with a history of chronic illnesses. We report the case of a 17-year-old healthy adolescent male baseball player who sustained this injury as a result of sudden deceleration in his left knee. He initially reported to the emergency department and then presented to our practice, where he was diagnosed with a quadriceps tendon tear. Preoperatively, he was unable to perform a single straight-leg raise. During surgical repair, the free edge of the quadriceps tendon was mobilized and anchored into the superior pole of the patella, followed by sutures to ensure reinforcement of the quadriceps footprint. His postoperative course progressed normally, demonstrating full range of motion at 3 months and return to team training at 5 months. Unlike previously reported quadriceps tendon ruptures in adolescents, to our knowledge, this is the first report of a patient who sustained such an injury without previous trauma to his knee or quadriceps mechanism. It is possible that weakened tendon integrity from repeated microtrauma during training combined with the sudden weight change distribution may have resulted in the injury. As urgent surgical intervention is necessary to ensure efficient recovery and return to sport, the sports medicine practitioner must remain educated and vigilant on caring for these patients.

Dysphagia after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is common, with a prevalence ranging between 28% and 57% of cases. However, nearly all cases resolve spontaneously within 2 years, thus identifying patients who require more detailed or invasive work-up is a challenging task for clinicians. A review of literature reveals a paucity of case reports detailing work-up and successful management options. The authors performed a clinical and radiographic review of a case of a 47-year-old female who presented with persistent dysphagia 3 years following anterior cervical spine surgery and was found to have an erosive pharyngeal defect with exposed spinal hardware. The diagnosis was made with direct laryngoscopy and treatment consisted of plate removal and pharyngeal repair, followed by revision fusion with deformity correction. This case and the accompanying pertinent review of the literature highlight the importance of a thorough evaluation of dysphagia, especially in the mid- and late-term postoperative period following ACDF, when most cases of dysphagia should have been resolved. Correctly identifying the underlying etiology of dysphagia may lead to improved revision of ACDF outcomes. Unresolved dysphagia should be a red flag for surgeons as it may be the presentation of erosive esophageal/pharyngeal damage, a rare but serious complication following ACDF.