Osgood-Schlatter disease is a common condition in children and adolescents. Often referred to asgrowing pains, it results from tendons pulling on the knee’s growth plate during rapid growth of the knee.
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The Apophysis of the Knee
An apophysis is a growth plate—an area where bone is rapidly growing in children and adolescents.In Osgood-Schlatter disease, the apophysis is located at the front of the knee joint, right where the patellar tendon attaches to the tibia. This is a strong tendon that is also attached to the powerful quadriceps muscle in the thigh. Every time the quad muscle contracts, it pulls on the patellar tendon, and thus on the tibia. Therefore, a lot of force is transferred directly to the apophysis.
When young children and adolescents are very active with sports, this repetitive pulling on the tibial apophysis can cause inflammation in that growth center of the bone. This process is called Osgood-Schlatter disease or traction apophysitis.
Is Damage Being Done?
While inflammation and irritation to the apophysis are taking place, this damage is not permanent. People who have Osgood-Schlatter disease may notice the tibial tubercle (a bump on the kneecap) is more prominent. This may persist later in life, but it generally does not cause a problem.
The typical signs of Osgood-Schlatter disease include:
Treatment Options
Treatment of Osgood-Schlatter is best accomplished with rest. By avoiding activities that cause irritation to the apophysis, the inflammation usually subsides without other treatment.The hard part is keeping a young athlete from their favorite sport while their knee pain is calming down.
The usual treatment steps include the following:
Exercise Program for Osgood-Schlatter Disease
5 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Vaishya R, Azizi AT, Agarwal AK, Vijay V.Apophysitis of the tibial tuberosity (Osgood-schlatter disease): a review.Cureus. 2016;8(9). doi: 10.7759/cureus.780Putz R, Milz S.Makroskopische und funktionelle Anatomie der Apophysenfugen.Orthopäde. 2016;45(3):199-205. doi: 10.1007/s00132-016-3227-zAchar S, Yamanaka J.Apophysitis and osteochondrosis: common causes of pain in growing bones.Am Fam Physician. 2019;99(10):610-618. PMID: 31083875Guldhammer C, Rathleff MS, Jensen HP, Holden S.Long-term prognosis and impact of osgood-schlatter disease 4 years after diagnosis: a retrospective study.Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine. 2019;7(10):232596711987813. doi: 10.1177/2325967119878136Vaishya R, Azizi AT, Agarwal AK, Vijay V.Apophysitis of the tibial tuberosity (Osgood-schlatter disease): a review.Cureus. 2016;8(9). doi: 10.7759/cureus.780
5 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Vaishya R, Azizi AT, Agarwal AK, Vijay V.Apophysitis of the tibial tuberosity (Osgood-schlatter disease): a review.Cureus. 2016;8(9). doi: 10.7759/cureus.780Putz R, Milz S.Makroskopische und funktionelle Anatomie der Apophysenfugen.Orthopäde. 2016;45(3):199-205. doi: 10.1007/s00132-016-3227-zAchar S, Yamanaka J.Apophysitis and osteochondrosis: common causes of pain in growing bones.Am Fam Physician. 2019;99(10):610-618. PMID: 31083875Guldhammer C, Rathleff MS, Jensen HP, Holden S.Long-term prognosis and impact of osgood-schlatter disease 4 years after diagnosis: a retrospective study.Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine. 2019;7(10):232596711987813. doi: 10.1177/2325967119878136Vaishya R, Azizi AT, Agarwal AK, Vijay V.Apophysitis of the tibial tuberosity (Osgood-schlatter disease): a review.Cureus. 2016;8(9). doi: 10.7759/cureus.780
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Vaishya R, Azizi AT, Agarwal AK, Vijay V.Apophysitis of the tibial tuberosity (Osgood-schlatter disease): a review.Cureus. 2016;8(9). doi: 10.7759/cureus.780Putz R, Milz S.Makroskopische und funktionelle Anatomie der Apophysenfugen.Orthopäde. 2016;45(3):199-205. doi: 10.1007/s00132-016-3227-zAchar S, Yamanaka J.Apophysitis and osteochondrosis: common causes of pain in growing bones.Am Fam Physician. 2019;99(10):610-618. PMID: 31083875Guldhammer C, Rathleff MS, Jensen HP, Holden S.Long-term prognosis and impact of osgood-schlatter disease 4 years after diagnosis: a retrospective study.Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine. 2019;7(10):232596711987813. doi: 10.1177/2325967119878136Vaishya R, Azizi AT, Agarwal AK, Vijay V.Apophysitis of the tibial tuberosity (Osgood-schlatter disease): a review.Cureus. 2016;8(9). doi: 10.7759/cureus.780
Vaishya R, Azizi AT, Agarwal AK, Vijay V.Apophysitis of the tibial tuberosity (Osgood-schlatter disease): a review.Cureus. 2016;8(9). doi: 10.7759/cureus.780
Putz R, Milz S.Makroskopische und funktionelle Anatomie der Apophysenfugen.Orthopäde. 2016;45(3):199-205. doi: 10.1007/s00132-016-3227-z
Achar S, Yamanaka J.Apophysitis and osteochondrosis: common causes of pain in growing bones.Am Fam Physician. 2019;99(10):610-618. PMID: 31083875
Guldhammer C, Rathleff MS, Jensen HP, Holden S.Long-term prognosis and impact of osgood-schlatter disease 4 years after diagnosis: a retrospective study.Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine. 2019;7(10):232596711987813. doi: 10.1177/2325967119878136
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