Stress fractures of the lower limbs are a well-known entity to the orthopaedic surgeon. The most frequent locations are the tibia, fibula and metatarsals. However stress fractures of the patella are a rare injury. We describe a case of stress fracture of the patella in a 21-year-old hand-ball player who had been followed up for three years with a diagnosis of jumper's knee. Our case revealed a non displaced fracture of the distal portion of the patella. We operated on the patient due to his desire for an early return to playing sports. Five months after surgery, the patient had no problems with his knee function and had recovered his previous level as a hand-ball player.
