Your child is very athletic and you love watching him compete. However, one day you notice a bump on your child’s knee and you begin to worry.
Or perhaps you yourself are very active, but lately, you have noticed some pain and wonder what it could be. These painful symptoms may be due to Osgood-Schlatter disease.
Our specialists at OrthoNeuro are ready to help you. We have 7 offices that are conveniently located throughout the Greater Columbus area to ensure that you get the assistance you need.
You may have some basic questions such as “What is Osgood-Schlatter?”, “What are the causes?”, and “Is it treatable?” You can find the answers and more below.
Osgood-Schlatter disease is a temporary condition in which the patellar tendon becomes inflamed due to being overused.
Once this inflammation begins, it can be painful.
This pain culminates and is isolated to prominence that can be seen just below the front of your knee.
Osgood-Schlatter tends to occur in growing children and adolescents, between the ages of 10-15.
Once the growth plates around the knee close, it is very uncommon to have lasting issues.
Although young athletes are at the highest risk for this condition, it can affect anyone, including adults.
Repetitive overuse while still in the growth period causes elevated amounts of tension and irritation to your patella tendon.
These tendons connect the kneecap to the shinbone (tibia). On top of your tibia, there is a growth plate known as the tibial tubercle.
During adolescence, rapid growth spurts can sometimes cause our bone growth rate to surpass our muscle and tendon growth.
As a result, the quadriceps (thigh muscles) pull on the tendon, which then pulls on the tibial tubercle.
This difference, coupled with being physically active, can cause knee pain where the patellar tendon attaches to the tibial tubercle.
Yes, there are additional causes and risk factors for this condition.
They include:
You may notice that your knee has a bump on it. This bony prominence is known as tibial tuberosity.
It forms when there is a lot of traction at the tendinous insertion due to rapid growth and repetitive knee movement.
As a result, this causes pain that is isolated to a small bump over the tibial tubercle, just below the knee joint.
This bony prominence can be seen in the front of the knee and is sometimes very pronounced.
It can form on either your right or left knee, but in most cases, it will only appear on one knee.
