Osgood-Schlatter disease
Osgood-Schlatter disease (OSD) is one of the most common causes of knee pain in young athletes. It causes swelling, pain and tenderness just below the knee, over the shin bone. It occurs in both boys and girls who are in the beginning of their growth spurt and are active in some sort of sport such as football, volleyball, soccer, tennis, figure skating, and gymnastics. One or both knees may be affected. OSD is the inflammation of the bone, cartilage or tendon at the top of the shinbone where the tendon and the kneecap attach. Osgood-Schlatter disease usually goes away with time. When the child stops growing, the pain and swelling should go away because the patellar tendons become much stronger. Only rarely does Osgood-Schlatter disease persist beyond the growing stage. Some symptoms of OSD include, pain that worsens with exercise, relief from pain with rest, swelling or tenderness under the knee and over the shinbone, limping after exercise, and tightness of the muscles surrounding the knee. With OSD, these symptoms typically go away or feel better when a person rests. Osgood Schlatter disease can cause very different symptoms in different people; it all depends on the severity of the condition. Some people may feel mild knee pain only when they play sports. Others may feel constant pain that makes playing any sport difficult. Osgood Schlatter disease usually gets better without treatment from a physician. The healing process for OSD consists of self-care actions that you take at home such as RICE which is rest, ice, compression, and elevation, medications for pain, wrap the bad knee in an ace bandage, restrict some activity, and physical therapy. In rare cases where the pain is severe and using self-care does not help, the doctor may suggest that the person use crutches until the knee heals. If crutches don’t work than surgery may be needed but only if the bones haven’t healed by the time the bones stop growing. Osgood Schlatter disease...