What is Osgood-Schlatter disease?

Exercise is one of the ways to improve your physical wellbeing and it aids in great measure to get rid of ailments, aches and pains. Follow the exercise programme provided by the biokineticists at Anine van der Westhuizen Biokineticist in George and feel the difference. This week biokineticist Megan van Huyssteen continues the series about lower leg injuries.

This week I will be discussing OsgoodSchlatter disease (OGSD), an injury that occurs during growth spurts when bones, muscles, tendons and other structures are changing rapidly.

The main factors for OGSD are:

Age: occurs in boys aged 12 to 14 and girls aged 10 to 13. It differs because girls enter puberty earlier.

Sex: more common in boys, but the gender gap is narrowing as more girls become involved with sport.

Sport: with a lot of impact, running, jumping and swift changes in direction. However, less active adolescents may also experience this problem.

Flexibility: tightness in the quadriceps muscles can increase the pull of the kneecap (patellar) tendon on the growth plate at the top of the shinbone. This repetitive traction on the tibial tubercle leads to inflammation of the growth plate. The bones of children and adolescents possess a special area where the bone is growing, called the growth plate. Growth plates are areas of cartilage located near the ends of bones. When a child is fully grown, the growth plates harden into solid bone. Some growth plates serve as attachment sites for tendons, the strong tissues that connect muscle to bone.

Symptoms

Knee pain and tenderness at the tibial tubercle

Swelling at the tibial tubercle

Tight muscles at the front or back of the thigh

Can cause a painful, bony bump on the shinbone just below the knee (where the body tries to fill the gap with new bone growth).

The condition usually occurs in one knee only, but it can affect both knees. The discomfort can last from weeks to months and can recur until your child stops growing.

Long-term symptoms might include chronic pain or localised swelling.

In rare cases, OGSD can cause the growth plate to pull away from the shinbone.

In most cases of OGSD, simple measures like rest, stretching and strengthening exercises will relieve pain and allow a return to daily activities.