As winter sports creep closer to finals and training and game intensity ramps up we are seeing more young clients come into the clinic with pain on the front of their shin. One of the most common causes of this pain is a condition called Osgood-Schlatter, a condition that tends to affect individuals in late childhood and early adolescence. With boys more commonly experiencing the issue than girls.
Pain is the leading symptom wherein it tends to occur during physical activities such as running, jumping, cycling, kneeling, walking up and down the stairs or kicking a ball. With this pain usually settling with rest. The other symptom that usually occurs is a bony lump (often painful) developing on the front of the shin.
The main causes of the condition are:
-Growth: during the adolescent growth spurt, bones and cartilage grow much faster than muscles and tendons. Causing the muscle and bone to pull against each other on the front of the shin
-Overuse: doing too much exercise and causing the muscles to continually pull on the front of the shin
The good news is mild cases of Osgood-Schlatter's can resolve within days. However more severe cases must be professionally managed to avoid growth plate damage or other complications. Although symptoms of Osgood-Schlatter's may linger for months, few patients have poor outcomes with conservative treatment, and surgical intervention is seldom necessary.
So, if you think you or someone you know has Osgood-Schlatter’s what should you do? Go see someone who can help. Physiotherapy assessment and treatment is a proven benefit for those with Osgood-Schlatter's with over 90% of individuals responding well to physiotherapy treatment.
Treatment involves protecting the knee (taping, avoiding overly painful activities and movements), controlling inflammation, stretching muscles that could be making the pain worse and very importantly getting the knee stronger.
If you're having trouble with a new or existing injury, make sure to contact us on (03) 5872 2221 and we'll be happy make a time where one of our friendly physios can discuss what you can do to get on top of the injury to get you back moving soon.
Yours in health, Tom