What is Osgood Schlatter’s Disease?

Osgood Schlatter’s Disease is a condition in which the bones are inflamed just below the knee, where the tendon from the knee cap attaches to the shin bone. Tibial tuberosity apophysitis is the medical term for Osgood Schlatter’s Disease and it mostly occurs during growth spurts, when the tendons, muscles, bones and other structures go through rapid changes. Although, it is an uncommon disease, it is painful and normally occurs in children between the ages of 12 and 18 years old.

Symptoms of Osgood Schlatter’s Disease

• Pain, tenderness and swelling near the knee cap or shin bone.
• The pain is felt during exercises such as jumping or running when there a direct contact with the knee.
• Kneeling, squatting or climbing stairs might be difficult and painful.
• Bilateral symptoms would occur for 20 to 30 percent of the cases.
• In chronic cases, quadriceps weakness might be present.
• In later stages, the apophysis (the growth cartilage plate at the end of long bones) might even enlarge.

Causes of Osgood Schlatter’s Disease

During a growth spurt your child may complain of pain just below the knee. This is due to tightening of the thigh muscle, as the thighbone increases its length. The result tensions the patella tendon placing an increased pressure on its bone connection below the knee. It is normally observed in active children during their growth. As a child grows, he or she would experience bone changes.

Diagnosis of Osgood Schlatter’s Disease

Osgood Schlatter’s Disease can be diagnosed easily with the help of simple X-Rays as they help identify the conditions such as malignancy, tibial tuberosity fraction or infection. Our team have seen many cases of Osgood Schlatter’s Disease at our clinic and can offer a range of techniques to help your child.

Ensure Knee Protection

It is vital for one suffering from Osgood Schlatter’s Disease to protect their knee. Make sure to restrict any high impact activities such as running or jumping immediately. It is advised to use an infrapatellar knee strap as it helps to dissipate the forces away from the site.

Specific tapping can also be used for load reduction and pain relief. In rare cases of severe Osgood Schlatter’s Disease, crutches might be required.

Treatment of Osgood Schlatter’s Disease with the Help of Physiotherapy

Osgood Schlatter’s Disease can be treated with the help of physiotherapy as it has been proven to benefit sufferers of the disease. Most patients have undergone non-operative physiotherapy treatment and found it helpful. However, it is possible for the symptoms to reappear after a while and might require further physiotherapy.

Therapeutic Exercises for Osgood Schlatter’s Disease

A physiotherapist will be able to suggest you therapeutic exercises to treat Osgood Schlatter’s Disease. Therefore, make sure to consult with your physiotherapist for the best exercises for your knee.

Strengthening

The muscle control around your knee will be addressed, in order to maintain the symptoms which are present during the active phase of Osgood Schlatter’s Disease. The physiotherapist will modify your exercises or prescribe ones which will be beneficial for you.

Massage, Stretching and Foam Rollers

One of most useful physiotherapy treatments are massage, stretching and foam rollers. They help treat the root cause of the Osgood Schlatter’s Disease which is excessive tight quadriceps muscles, hip flexors, hamstrings, calf muscles and ITB.

So what are you waiting for?

Come in and see our experienced Physiotherapists for a consultation and get your child’s pain reduced and function restored to its full ability. If you’d like to know more, give us a call on 02 9874 8410