Does My Child Have Os-Good Schlatter?
Frequently I see growing, active children in the clinic with knee pain which stops them from playing sport with their friends.
Most of the time concerned parents "google" their child's symptoms and its come back saying that their child has a condition called "Os-Good Schlatter".
In this article, I will answer what this actually means and how we can help get your child back playing sport and having fun!
Knee pain can stop your chldren from doing the things they love
What is Osgood-Schlatter?
Osgood-Schlatter is commonly seen in very active children who have recently had a growth spurt.
Put simply, during a growth spurt your child's bones get longer faster than their muscles can keep up.
This means that their muscles, especially the quadriceps and hamstrings are extremely tight which pull on active growth plates in bones causing pain.
A study of 956 adolescents diagnosed with Osgood-Schlatter found:
- 76.4% had tight quadriceps
- Adolescents who play regular sports were nearly 2x more likely to develop Osgood-Schlatter
How Do I Know My Child Has Osgood-Schlatter?
The best way to know if your child has Osgood-Schlatter is to make an appointment with a Podiatrist who is passionate with working with children with knee or foot pain.
Some signs and symptoms that may indicate that your child may have Osgood Schlatter are:
- Pain and tenderness at the location of the tibial tuberosity (lumpy spot just below their knee cap)
- Had a recent growth spurt
- Pain increases with activities such as jumping and kneeling
- Are active
Will my child have to miss any sport?
I understand that your child will be frustrated having to miss out and not play sports with their friends, however, a key part of management of Osgood-Schlatter is appropriate load management.
During your initial consult at Complete Podiatry we will review your child’s current activity levels including any sport that they play whether for club or representative, training sessions or P.E. activities at school.
Based on your child’s training loads we may need to reduce or modify the amount of training or activities, it is rare that we would suggest a period of complete inactivity.
How Should I Manage Os-Good Schatter?
One positive with Osgood-Schlatter is that it is a “self-limiting” condition, meaning that once your child’s growth plate stops being active their pain will subside.
However, while your child is in pain, here are some tips to help reduce their pain:
1. Load Management
Find out from your child what sports or clubs are most important to them, focus on the sports or clubs that they love playing for and for a short period stop playing for the ones that they are not as keen on.
2. “RICE”
Rest, ice, compression and elevation after exercise, this will reduce the pain and inflammation at your child's knee
3. Rehabilitation Exercises and Stretches
Based on the findings of your Podiatrist’s biomechanical assessment specific stretches and exercises for your child's quadriceps and hamstrings will reduce the strain and pain on their knee.
Get Your Child Back Playing Sport
The Podiatrists at Complete Podiatry are experts in lower limb mechanics and can find the causes contributing to the pain and give your child pain management strategies as well as an individualised exercise program to get them stronger than they were pre-injury.
I'm so confident we can help you that I'd love to chat with you personally about your child's knee pain, it's what I'm passionate about!
Click on the link to make an appointment Book Online or call us on 8330 0004
Alex Taylor
Podiatrist at Complete Podiatry