Osgood Schlatters Disease
Date issued: December 2022
For review: December 2023
Ref: C-331/Physiontherapy/LB/Osgood Schlatters Disease v3
PDF: Osgood Shclatters Disease final December 2019 v2.pdf[pdf] 362KB
What is Osgood Schlatters?
Osgood Schlatters is a very common cause of knee pain in young people. It is a condition where the bony lump below your knee cap becomes painful and swollen during and after exercise.
The reason for this is the main thigh muscle (the quadriceps), which attaches to the bony lump can get tight during a growth spurt.
When you play sports the muscle then pulls on the bone causing pain and swelling. The more this happens the larger the lump becomes.
It usually affects those:
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Between 10 and 15 years old
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Who are having a ‘growth spurt’
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Involved in sports, usually sports that involve running and jumping.
Physiotherapy Exercises
Standing quadriceps stretch: Bend your knee so your heel comes towards your bottom, and grasp with your hand keeping your knees together. Push your hips slightly forwards to feel a stretch at the front of your thigh. Hold for 30 seconds, repeat 4x on each leg.
Lying quadriceps stretch; Lying on the floor, hold your ankle and bring your heel towards your bottom keeping your knees together. Hold for 30 seconds, repeat 4x on each leg
Physiotherapy Exercises
Hamstring stretch: Sitting on the floor keep one leg straight and touch your toes. Hold for 30 seconds, repeat 4x on each leg.
Standing Hamstring stretch: Stand with one leg just in front of the other, bend the back knee and rest your weight onto it. Stick your bottom out with your chest up and hold for 30 seconds, repeat 4x on each leg.
What causes Osgood Schlatters?
Physical activity involving running, twisting, and jumping increases the stress placed on bones and muscles. This then increases the risk of developing Osgood Schlatters disease in the growing child.
Signs and symptoms;
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Pain that worsens with exercise
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Relief from pain with rest
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Swelling under the knee or at top of tibia (shin bone)
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Limping after exercise
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Tightness of muscles around the knee
Symptoms are usually worse during and immediately after activity and subside with rest.
How can Osgood-Schlatters be managed?
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Exercise modification
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Rest and Ice
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Anti-Inflammatory medication (Please discuss with your pharmacist or GP before)
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Wearing correct/supportive footwear
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Physiotherapy stretches
Recovery
Once the symptoms have eased, it is important to continue with the stretches whilst your child is still growing. In the majority of cases, the symptoms often disappear once the patient has stopped growing. Symptoms may reappear during periods of growth spurts and thus management discussed in this booklet should be applied. Some children may develop a painless bony lump below the knee.
