What is Osgood Schlatters' Disease?
Osgood Schlatter’s Disease is a condition that causes pain at the front of the knee with activity. As an illustration, these activities involve sports, running, jumping, going down stairs, and squatting. It affects youth athletes, both boys and girls, aged 8-15 during or after growth spurts.
The hallmark sign is a “painful bump” at the front of the knee, and the medical term is tibial tubercle apophysitis. The words Tibial Tubercle and Apophysitis are medical terms when combined together mean inflammation at a growth plate. Therefore, most youth athletes will have a bump at the tibial tubercle where the patellar tendon inserts.
What Causes Osgood Schlatters' Disease?
Osgood Schlatter’s Disease is caused by inflammation from repeated stress of the quadriceps muscle on the epiphyseal cartilage, or growth plate, of the tibial tubercle. In other words, when the body is growing, the bones are growing at a faster rate than the muscles and tendons. As a result, this leads to increased pulling on the tibial tubercle. It affects growing youth athletes the most because of their growth spurts. Moreover, the stress from the quadriceps is why it is common among sports involving a lot of running or jumping, such as basketball, volleyball, football and soccer.
Common Signs & Symptoms
1. Painful Bump at Tibial Tubercle
2. Pain with Sporting Activities
Running, Jumping, Cutting, and Landing
3. Pain with Stairs & Squatting
4. Pain with Prolonged Periods of Sitting
Common Risk Factors:
1. Early Sports Specialization
Choosing to play only one sport at a young age year-round.
2. Recent Growth Spurt
3. Participation in Sports Involving Running & Jumping
4. Girls Aged 8-13 Years Old
5. Boys Aged 10-15 Years Old
What Can You Do to Overcome Osgood Schlatters' Disease?
Ultimately, there are numerous things you can do to take control of this condition. Stay tuned for our next blog post to go over key impairments you need to address. In the meantime, check out..
Take a Look at our YouTube Video
Sources
Ladenhauf HN, Seitlinger G, Green DW. Osgood-Schlatter disease: a 2020 update of a common knee condition in children. Curr Opin Pediatr. 2020 Feb;32(1):107-112. doi: 10.1097/MOP.0000000000000842. PMID: 31714260.
Neuhaus C, Appenzeller-Herzog C, Faude O. A systematic review on conservative treatment options for OSGOOD-Schlatter disease. Phys Ther Sport. 2021 May;49:178-187. doi: 10.1016/j.ptsp.2021.03.002. Epub 2021 Mar 9. PMID: 33744766.

Dr. Gabriel Ignacio PT, DPT, OCS, TPI

Dr. Marco Lopez PT, DPT, CSCS
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