WHAT IS OSGOOD-SCHLATTER DISEASE?
Osgood-Schlatter (say: oz-good shlaw-ter) disease is one of the most common causes of knee pain in children who play sports. Usually only one knee is affected, but both can be. There may be a slightly swollen, warm, and tender bony bump at the top of the lower leg, about 2 inches below the kneecap. The bump hurts when pressed. It also hurts when a child kneels, jumps, runs, squats, or does anything that bends or fully extends the leg. Just what causes the pain? First you have to know a little bit about how the knee is put together. The quadriceps tendon attaches the large, powerful quadriceps (say: kwad-ruh-seps) muscle to the kneecap. Another tendon – the patellar (say: puh-teh-lur) tendon – attaches this big thigh muscle to the shin bone. Your muscles and tendons work together when you move your legs. Someone who plays sports uses their knees and legs a lot. All this activity means the patellar tendon pulls at the attachment to the shin bone a lot. That’s what causes the pain of Osgo
