Lesiones y dolor de rodilla en niños: la enfermedad de Osgood-Schlatter

The increase in sports among the population has made it increasingly frequent to consult in Traumatology on knee pain. The bad habit of not warming up before the sport or not wearing the right clothes and footwear are the main risk factors for these injuries.

Osgood-Schlatter disease

Knee pain is sometimes due to Osgood-Schlatter disease. This pathology causes pain that occurs when the patient performs physical or sports activities. Who suffers from it explains that the area where it rests is just below the knee. It is the anterior tibial tuberosity ; And the pain is accompanied by an inflammation in that area.

Knee Injuries

It is very common for children between 9 and 15 years old to suffer the most from this type of injury, especially since at these ages they usually practice sports that require leg work, such as football. This type of activity causes a great tension in the muscles, often disproportionate for their age. The patellar tendon , which is below the patella, is anchored to the tibia and pulled strongly to stretch the knee. Sometimes repeated stretching causes inflammation and pain.

Diagnosis of a knee injury

The child traumatology specialist will need the medical history and perform a physical examination to make a diagnosis. The radiograph , although little used for this diagnosis (unless it is intended to rule out that the pain has another origin), may be normal or show a rupture of the tibial tuberosity.

Treatment for Osgood-Schlatter disease

The treatment is done with the intention of eliminating the pain , not the illness. To achieve this end the techniques that are combined undergo good stretching , ice application and anti-inflammatory medication .

Warm-up exercises are performed before and after sports activity, and are designed to stretch quadriceps and hamstrings. A posteriori applies ice for 20 minutes on the sore area. In addition, the use of anti-inflammatory drugs can have positive effects in controlling that pain.

Treatment Outcomes for Osgood-Schlatter Disease

Most children respond positively to treatment. If they feel that they can tolerate the discomfort, their sport activity does not have to be affected. In winter, as well as in times of peak growth or when physical activity increases, pain increases. The best thing in this situation is to take rest to properly control the injury.

In case of not being able to stop the practice of the sport, the patient can resort to the use of a patellar band , or to a patellar bandage. It should be noted that the use of this prosthesis does not repair the injury, but it helps to support the pain. In fact, the painful feeling is usually greater when removing the cinch after having done sport.

It is unusual for this pathology to require surgery, and most patients spontaneously improve after a period of 12 to 18 months. In addition, the symptoms disappear when the child reaches adulthood.