What is Osgood-Schlatter disease?

Pain in the knee is a common problem, particularly among young people who are very active. One cause of knee pain is a problem called Osgood-Schlatter disease. It is most common in boys around the time of rapid growth. Those who participate in activities that require a lot of running or jumping are particularly prone to this problem.

Osgood-Schlatter disease produces pain and swelling at the front of the tibia (shin bone), just below the knee. It is due to the fact that the powerful muscle at the front of the thigh (the quadricep muscle) is attached (by its tendon) to the tibia at this point. When the quadricep muscle contracts, straightening a bent knee, an enormous pulling force is exerted at the point where the tendon is attached.

During growth, new bone is produced from areas known as growth plates, or epiphyses. The quadricep tendon is attached to the tibia, which is very near one of these growth areas, and the new bone being formed is affected by the pulling forces. Instead of forming dense compact bone it becomes fragmented, producing the pain and swelling of Osgood-Schlatter disease.

This is only a temporary problem. The fragments of bone eventually form into normal bone and once growth is complete there should be no recurrence. The only treatment required for most cases of Osgood-Schlatter disease is to reduce the amount of painful activity. Support bandaging and ice packs will help ease bad pain and most affected youngsters can continue their sporting activities fairly soon.

Adapted from original article in MyDr. Reviewed by everybody, March 2005.