Osgood Schlatter Disease
Osgood Schlatter Disease (OSD) is a common cause of knee pain that affects nearly 10% of children and adolescents, and up to 20% of those who are active in sports, especially ones that involve running and jumping. It is more common in boys than girls, and most often occurs between age 8 and 15. In OSD, pain is normally felt below the knee cap (“patella”) at the point where the patellar tendon attaches to the shin (“tibial tuberosity”). Running, jumping, squatting and kneeling are often painful, and occasionally there is swelling just below the patella.
OSD is often associated with a recent growth spurt, where the long bones of the leg increase in size relative to the thigh muscle (“quadriceps”). Combined with repetitive high force being transferred from the quadriceps muscle to the developing tibial tuberosity, contractions of the muscle during high load activities like jumping and running cause the tendon to essentially pull or traction the developing bone, causing pain.
Ultimately, the fix for OSD is getting older – where the bones become more mature and the growth plates close. Symptoms normally resolve after 1-2 years, but in the meantime, there are a number of things that can be done in order to reduce pain and still remain active.
Stretching and strength exercises in particular have both been shown to be helpful in those with OSD. Some examples of exercises are shown below:
Activity monitoring and modification are also important to help keep symptoms under control. The goal is to still remain physically active, but limit the amount of activity to what pain will allow. Examples of activity modification might be reducing running volume during the week at school PE, cycling or swimming for fitness instead of running, or only doing drills at training that do not involve high knee load (i.e. kicking in footy, passing and juggling in soccer, free throws in basketball).
Additional things that can help for some individuals with OSD include taping prior to training or games to help offload knee, and ice to help settle symptoms if pain is experienced after physical activity or exercise.
OSD can be an extremely frustrating and painful condition for a young athlete. Thankfully, the physiotherapists at Continuum Physiotherapy are well-placed to help guide the management of OSD, and keep young athletes on the field and kicking goals. Book now if you think your child is experiencing symptoms that sound like OSD, and our physiotherapists will be happy to help.