What is the best treatment for Osgood-Schlatter disease?
Moses Cone Health System, Greensboro, NC Evidence-based answer Osgood-Schlatter disease is a common cause of pain and tenderness at the tibial tuberosity in active adolescents. It is typically a self-limited condition that waxes and wanes, but which often takes months to years to resolve entirely. It is best managed with conservative measures (activity modification, ice, anti-inflammatory agents) and time (strength of recommendation [SOR]: B, several case series and retrospective studies). In chronic cases that are refractory to conservative treatment, surgical intervention yields good results, particularly for patients with bony or cartilaginous ossicles. Excision of these ossicles produces resolution of symptoms and return to activity in several weeks (SOR: C, several case series). Corticosteroid injections are not recommended (SOR: C, case reports and expert opinion). Evidence summary No prospective, interventional studies evaluate the treatment of Osgood-Schlatter disease. One case
