Osgood-Schlatter Disease is a condition that causes pain and swelling below the knee joint, where the patellar tendon attaches to the top of the shinbone. There may also be inflammation of the patellar tendon, which stretches over the kneecap.
Osgood-Schlatter Disease is mostly found in young athletes who play sports that require a lot of jumping and/or running.
Osgood-Schlatter Disease is caused by irritation of the bone growth plate. Bones do not grow in the middle, but at the ends near the joint, in an area called the growth plate. While a child is still growing, these areas of growth are made of cartilage instead of bone. The cartilage is never as strong as the bone, so high levels of stress can cause the growth plate to begin to hurt and swell.
Any movements that cause repeated extension of the leg can lead to tenderness at the point where the patellar tendon attaches to the top of the tibia. Activities that put stress on the knee – especially squatting, bending or running uphill (or stadium steps) – cause the tissue around the growth plate to hurt and swell. It also hurts to hit or bump the tender area. Kneeling can be very painful.
Treatment:
- Specific strengthening and stretching, are therefore instituted earlier in the conditioning program.
- Load management is crucial – this means: The overall aim of proper load management is to ideally construct training, competition and other loads to enhance adaptation and maximise performance whilst also reducing the risk of injury.
If you believe this relates to you or your child, don’t hesitate to book now with one of our physiotherapists.
