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Osgood Schlatters (05/02 01/05 RMD)
What is Osgood Schlatters disease?
This is a condition where the bony protrusion below the knee (called the
tibial tuberosity) gets inflamed. The patella tendon inserts here and
through overuse can tug away at the bone causing inflammation. New bone
grows back causing a bony lump. It mainly affects boys aged 10 to 16
years old, but it increasingly affects girls who are very active in
sports. It occurs because the attachment of the patella tendon in
teenagers is not hard bone but softer fibrous tissue. Once the
attachment changes to bone the problem goes away. It is therefore a
developmental problem not a disease. It affect teenagers who undertake
sporting activities which exceed the strength of the patella tendon
attachment.
What are the symptoms?
• Swelling just below the kneecap.
• Tenderness and pain pain on the tibial tuberosity during and after
exercise
• Pain when contracting the quadriceps against resistance.
What can you do?
• Rest. This injury needs rest if it is to heal. You must only do as
much exercise as it will allow you. Weight bearing exercise and contact
sports, especially football,
will make it worse. Keep your sessions few and high quality
rather than train every day. It usually takes 6-12 weeks to settle
fully. After this time sport can be tried again but slowly and
carefully. If the condition recurs on resuming sport it means that the
attachment is still too soft.
• Apply heat and use a heat retainer.
• Take up sports that don’t affect your knees like swimming
A Sports Injury Specialist can:
• Assess problems only if the condition won’t settle with rest from the
sport which aggravates it.
• X ray’s rarely help in deciding on which treatment to use and so are
not usually done.
• Apply a plaster cast for three weeks if pain is severe.
Rehabilitation is not really what you need with this one, rest is!
However if you have a good trainer or coach they should be able to
manage your training to get the best results from what you are able to
do. This is an unfortunate injury that you will grow out of as long as
you don't over do it.
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 Whitnash
Medical Centre
110 Coppice Road
Whitnash
Warwickshire
CV31 2LT
Tel: 01926 316711
Fax: 01926 427260
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