Adolescent knee pain – Osgood Schlatter’s disease
Should our kids experience knee pain?
Knee pain can be a common complaint in our adolescents, one of the most common causes being “growing pain”.
2 common causes being:
- Osgood Schlatter’s disease
- Sinding-Larsen Johansson syndrome
Yes, these are both a mouthful, falling under the term “growing pain” and differentiated by pain location.
But what is growing pain?
It refers to pain around a growth plate. In adolescents, the growth plates are not yet fused. It is thought during sudden growth spurts, our bones grow quickly, with the muscles lagging behind, meaning we get shorter muscles placing tension on and irritating the growth plate creating an inflammatory response when active.
This is more commonly seen in running and jumping sports, more so in our very active teens (we’re talking 7-10 exercise sessions per week!).
There is about a 10% prevalence in adolescents, with symptoms being reported for 2 years on average and up to 4 years in 50% of cases. It is most prevalent between ages 10-15 in boys and 8-13 in girls.
What do we do about it?
Osgood Schlatter’s is a tricky one. There is very little solid research as to what is considered “best treatment”.
Considering how long lasting it may be, ignoring it is not an option.
We recommend a few things. First and foremost, activity modification is important! Making sure they are toning back exercise where necessary, but NOT avoiding participation (that’s no fun). Some pain is acceptable and does not mean to stop. In severe cases a bout of rest may be considered.
In addition, we advise;
- Stretching and strengthening – keep the strength of the muscles so they don’t weaken, lengthen the muscles that may be tugging at the growth plate.
- Ice – used after exercise to manage pain.
- Taping – to offload, support and make sport more comfortable.
Can it get worse?
Yes, but rarely. It is important to keep an eye on symptoms. In rare cases, we can see fractures at the growth plate or in very, very active kids we can see tendon issues arise.
If your child is suffering from knee pain, our experienced physiotherapists can help diagnose and create a plan to keep them active.