Kids Knee Pain (Osgood-Schlatter Disease)
At Sunnybank Hills Podiatry, I see a lot of children complaining of pain just below their knee at the top of the shin, quite often there is also a bony lump present. This condition is medically known as Osgood-Schlatter Disease, however, it is not a disease as such, as it is more of an over-use injury rather than a disease.
What causes it?
Most commonly this condition affects active boys (12-14) and girls (10-13), how are involved in running and jumping sports and activities, such as;
- Football
- Basketball
- Netball
- Dancing
The pain is caused by tension from the patella tendon pulling its bony attachment at the top of the shin, near the growth plate of the bone. The pain is caused because the bones and soft tissues grow at different rates and with the excessive load placed on the patella tendon during running and jumping activities. This results in pain and swelling.
What to do?
Make an appointment with your Podiatrist, so that a thorough assessment can be carried out. Children should remain active, however at a reduced capacity, as to not make the pain worse. We need the soft tissues to adapt and lengthen, and therefore reduce the tension of the tendon pulling on the bone. To enable the soft tissue adaption to occur, I will usually recommend a stretching and strengthening program for the muscles and tendons involved. Sometimes we may also need to look at shoe inserts, to reduce the load on the structures above the foot and ankle. Rarely there is a need for surgery.
How long will it take for the pain to go away?
In many cases, the pain settles within a few months. Sometimes there may be flare-ups of the pain related to further growth spurts, however, this should cease between the ages of 14 and 18, when the bones stop growing. In most cases, there are no ongoing effects from the condition, however, sometimes there can be a bony lump present which can be painful to kneel on at times.
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