Given
that junior winter sport is well and truly back into the swing of things, we
have seen a recent rise in the number of cases of Osgood Schlatter's disease presenting
to our rooms. In This week's edition of #whatiswednesday physio Laurence
Schubert provides some basic education about the condition.
What
is it?
Osgood
Schlatter's (OS) is a painful knee condition that primarily affects adolescents
aged 9-16. During puberty our bodies experience large amounts of bone growth
and as a result, the muscles have not yet caught up in length. This leads to an
increased tension in certain muscles such as the quadriceps. The quadriceps is
the main muscle that extends the knee, and is located at the front of the
thigh. This muscle attaches to a bony point just below your knee cap (tibial
tuberosity). During adolescent years, the bones have not fully fused and have
sites of softened bone (epiphysis). At the quadriceps insertion point, this
landmark is not fully developed until adulthood. This is why you experience
pain in that area.
What
are the symptoms?
The
most common symptom is pain just below the kneecap (approximately 2cm below).
This pain will be experienced during impact and high intensity activities such
as running, jumping and kicking. The adolescent may even experience pain going
up and down stairs, walking, squatting and kneeling. There will be pain and
inflammation at the site of pain and often a bony lump. After intense exercise,
there may be increased pain and difficulty walking.
Will
the bony lump ever go away?
Your
bony lump may decrease slightly in size as the injury resolves but it is
unlikely that it will ever go away completely. However, this DOES NOT mean you
will be in pain for the rest of your life. You may have a lump there but this
does not mean you are injured.
What
treatment is available and how long is recovery?
The
great news is that targeted physiotherapy treatment has shown to be extremely
effective in reducing pain and getting patients back to sport. Using the
Strickland protocol, if followed correctly there is a high chance of return to
sport within one month. This protocol includes specific massage and stretching
techniques, as well as guidance on what exercise you should be doing. Pain can
be present for much longer than one month but the earlier the condition is
diagnosed the quicker the recovery. It is important to see your
physiotherapist, as this condition can masquerade as other issues. If the
condition is left untreated, your pain may be present for up to 2 years or
until growth has ceased.
Please contact us or book online if you want to find out more about this condition or any other concerns that you may have.
