Osgood Schlatter Disease

Hi Angela,

I am an Orthopedic Physician Assistant and OS is something very common we see in adolescent athletes. The issue is the growth plate on the front of his shin bone becomes inflammed from the impact from sports. A tendon that attaches the kneecap to the shin bone is also in this area. He will continue to have this pain on & off until he finishes growing and his growth plate closes. When he does have pain, its important for him to REST. Ice & antiinflammatories are also key (advil, aleve, motrin..whichever works best for him). The more he tried to push through the pain, the worse it will get.

Also FYI, it often affects both knees, although not at the same time. So if its only in one knee now, it may become an issue at some point in the other knee down the road. Again, the good news is that this will not be an issue once he stops growing!

Good luck!

I was diagnosed with this by an athletic trainer when I was 14. I ran cross country. I was told that I may have to have surgery. I quit running, and haven't had a problem since. I can say that icing it every night helps and there are certain strengthening exersises he can do that helps take the strain off, they are done with an elastic (maybe thats what they did in physical therapy?). Other than that I don't know too much. Good luck.

My brother had it when he played hockey and baseball in high school. He was pretty beat up and his dr. told him to take Aleve, and ice it after practices and games. He is 27 now and his knees still bother him, I am not sure it ever goes away.

Hope it helps
J.

My kids don't have it but I did as a kid. It is normal to have pain. Mine bothered me until I was finished with highschool and cut back on my activities. Ice and tylenol help.

I have and have had it for as long as I can remember. So as far as I know it never really goes away, but it is by no means serious. Icing the knee, good supportive shoes, and proper rest after activity is really all that can be done without surgery.

i had this as a kid. The first doctor told me to never play sports again because i would have ugly knees on the beach when i was older. so we found a different doctor and he said the pain would subside.
it did.
mine started to hurt in sixth grade. that was during my last growth spurt. icing it after practices and games helped. by freshamn year, it hurt not at all. that coincides with when i stopped growing. i continued to ice it anyway.
it never hurts me as an adult.

hello angela,
I had it growing up. Try Ice ,motrin,knee brace,and keeping it up.S.

Oh yes, my son also had OSD (very common in young athletic boys) and as long as he iced it after practice and games it helped. Your son basically has to live with it during sports but if it hurts alot he should rest it and ice it. My son had a knee brace and it helped protect his knee during soccer and lacrosse but he didn't have it in both knees, just one, so it wasn't as bad. Just keep an eye on it and make sure he doesn't push it too much when it really hurts. I know it isn't much help but it is a common problem. My son is a senior now and it still bothers him but not as much as when he was younger (started around 13)cause he was still really growing at that time.

Wow, reading these responses was so informative for ME. I am 41 and was diagnosed with OS when I was in middle school. I have a lump on my knee as a result. At the time, the doctor told us it was about growth spurts, and didn't ask about sports, perhaps because girls, at the time, were not as regularly involved in sports. We were told it would go away when I was done growing. I was into gymnastics, and though I wasn't great, by any means, I was diligent to learn and improve and fought through pain. So, the end of the story is that OS has not ruined my knee, but I have been told here and there by doctors to have the lump removed. I have not, and my knee aches sometimes, particularly when it is bent for a period of time and then straightened, but hey, knees over 40 are rarely pain free! Just the same, when it starts as young as 12, as it did for me, and proper care isn't taken, it may have permanent effects, regardless of what doctors may say about it passing with time.

Here's a website with some very good info on Osgood Schlatter Disease.

http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_fit/fitness/osgood...

There are a lot of other websites that also have info about it.

My daughter who is now 16 was also diagnosed with Osgood Schlatter. We found this out because she is an avid basketball player and her knees were really bothering her. We also went to therapy and it was basically just stretching exercises. The doctor finally told me that as long as she continues with sports it will bother her. I'm told that there really isn't anything they can do for the kids and they are finding more children with this problem because more kids are active in sports. My daughter basically just uses ice after her games and practices and takes ibuprofrin and it seems to help. Just make sure your son stretches his knees before each practice and game. Very important, the tendons need to be supple or else they will tear.

I personally had it when I was in junior high. It was awful for a while, and then totally went away. Now that I am in my 40's (yikes!) I have more knee problems - especially stairs. However, just be comforted knowing it does subside and will stop bothering him. Good luck.

Hi Angela. I had it when I was a kid and did outgrow it (as promised by the good doc!). I always had to wrap me knee before workouts (gymnastics) and used a knee pad if I was going to be kneeling. I remember it being annoying, but it never got worse for me.