Osgood-Schlatter disease is one of the most common causes of knee pain in growing adolescents. Travel physical therapy professionals likely understand that although it's technically not a disease, but rather an overuse injury, it can be a debilitating condition that temporarily sidelines youth.
With school sport seasons coming around the corner, those on travel PT jobs should forewarn patients to stay safe and healthy. OS disease occurs most in adolescent athletes who participate in sports that involve running, jumping and swift changes of direction, such as football, soccer, basketball, figure skating and ballet.
Adolescents who are experiencing growth spurts during puberty are the main population affected by OS. They will likely come in with a painful swelling below the kneecap, and often there will be a visible growth around the knee area. During adolescence, bodies grow at a rapid pace. Throughout this phase, epiphyseal plates are susceptible to injury.
About OS
The development of Osgood-Schlatter disease is typically a consequence of excessive stress to the front of the knee during periods of rapid skeletal growth. It occurs when there is irritation to the top, front portion of the tibia where the tendon attached to the patella meets the shin bone. When there is an increased amount of stress placed on the bones where the tendons attach, patients might develop OS.
Gender differences
While Osgood-Schlatter disease is more common in boys, the gender gap is narrowing as more girls participate in sports. You might see just as many boys as girls with OS, albeit at different ages. Because girls experience puberty earlier than boys, Osgood-Schlatter disease typically occurs in girls age 11-12 and boys age 13-14.
Symptoms
Patients might visit a travel physical therapy professional experiencing the following symptoms:
- Worsening pain below the knee, at the top of the shin bone
- Swelling at the top of the shin
- A boney growth at the top of the shin
- Loss of strength in the quadriceps muscles
- Loss of knee motion
- Discomfort with daily activities that use the knee, such as squatting, climbing staircases and kneeling
- Ideas for treatment
Treatment ideas
Though the condition usually heals on its own once the child's bones stop growing, no kid wants to wait that long. There are several treatment programs that can help minimize patient's pain and help get them back in action.
Initial treatment: Initial treatment can simply involve applying ice for 20 minutes every two to four hours. As it does with other conditions with swelling, ice helps decrease pain by contracting small blood vessels.
Rest: Avoiding intense sports for at least six to eights weeks has been shown to reduce pain in patients. Then, they can make a gradual return to full participation over another six to eight weeks.
Range-of-motion therapy: Depending on the severity of the OS, you can prescribe range-of-motion therapy to help the adolescent work through any stiffness and pain. Low-intensity quadriceps stretching may help decrease pain. As a patient continues to recover, you could prescribe higher-intensity exercises, such as wall squats where the patient stands with his or her back against the wall and bends his or her knees so they form a 90-degree angle. Other stretching should target the hip flexors and hip extensors.
Manual therapy: Hands-on therapy might be necessary for patients with OS. If needed, you can gently move a patient's kneecap or patellar tendon and surrounding muscles to improve his or her motion, flexibility and strength. These techniques can target areas that patients may have trouble addressing on their own.