The Osgood – Schlatter Disease is one of the most common causes of knee pain in the young athletic patient. The patient presents with pain, swelling and tenderness over the anterior tibial tuberosity There is most often an absence of overt injury. It occurs most commonly in the juvenile patient age 9 – 16 years ( more common in boys 3:1 ) This condition is caused by stress on the quadriceps – patella tendon at the insert attachment to the anterior tibial tuberosity. Excess stress in this area especially occurs in the young athletic patient. This repeated trauma to the tendon may result in inflammation, swelling, local tenderness and sometimes visible avulsion fractures demonstrating fragmentation of the tibial tuberosity.
Most patients respond to conservative treatment as follows :
1…..Rest
2…..Ice
3…..Compression bandage
4……Elevation
5…..Anti-Inflammatory medication
The disease is usually self-limiting with complete resolution of symptoms but might rarely result in chronic pain / tenderness
Illustration 96 Swelling – Tenderness Over Anterior TuberosityBefore I present a radiograph demonstrating the Osgood-Schlatter Disease let us first look at a radiograph of a NORMAL anterior tibial tuberosity—click on” NEXT “ |