How does Osgood-Schlatter disease develop?
This condition occurs when the patella tendon, which allows the child to straighten the knee, pulls very forcefully on the growth plate of the large bone below the knee, called the tibia. As a result, the tibial tubercle, where the patella tendon attaches, becomes inflamed. Children who suffer from OSD sustain repeated microscopic injuries to the growth plate at the tibial tubercle, which causes pain and swelling in the area. What are the symptoms of Osgood-Schlatter disease? Children suffering from Osgood-Schlatter disease usually complain of intermittent knee pain over several months. The pain may range from mild, and be experienced only during activity, to severe and constant. Other symptoms may include pain that worsens with exercise, relief from pain with rest, swelling or tenderness under the knee and over the shinbone, limping after exercise or tightness of the muscles surrounding the knee (the hamstring and quadriceps muscles). Conventional medical treatments may help relieve t
