Participating in a sport or activity that involves running can increase your child's chance of developing Osgood-Schlatter disease, a condition that affects the knee. The disease occurs during growth spurts during childhood and adolescence. Although Osgood-Schlatter disease can be painful, it doesn't usually require special treatment and resolves on its own when your child stops growing.
Identification
Osgood-Schlatter disease occurs when the patellar tendons that pass under the knee cap become inflamed and start to pull away from the end of the shinbone in the lower leg. The tendons connect the bones of the upper and lower leg at the knee joint. Because your child is still growing, the ends of his bones contain growth plates composed of cartilage rather than bone. When your child runs or jumps, the quadriceps muscle in the thigh pulls on the tendon, which can cause inflammation and swelling of the cartilage. The condition can occur if your child is very active in sports and most often happens in children who participate in gymnastics, basketball, soccer and distance running, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Symptoms
Your child may complain of pain where the knee and shinbone meet if she has Osgood-Schlatter disease. The area may feel tender to the touch or appear swollen. Running and jumping may increase pain and inflammation. Although both knees may be affected, more often the condition occurs in just one knee. Symptoms can continue to flare up until your child stops growing.
Treatment
Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory pain medication is helpful in treating pain and swelling caused by Osgood-Schlatter disease. Applying ice to the knee three times every day and wrapping the leg with a compression bandage will also help relieve pain and swelling, as will elevating the leg. If symptoms are severe, your doctor may suggest that your child wear a knee brace or use crutches to relieve tension or pulling on the quadriceps muscle and patellar tendon.
Recovery
Resting the knee is an important part of your child's recovery process, which may take weeks or months, depending on the level of pain. Continuing to run may worsen symptoms. Although your child won't be able to run during the early stages of recovery, he may find that he can participate in activities that don't put as much strain on the knee, such as swimming or cycling. The Mayo Clinic reports that performing exercises that stretch and strengthen the hamstring muscles may help reduce tension on the spot where the kneecap's tendon attaches to the shin bone and may also help stabilize the knee. When your child feels well enough to run again, wearing a protective pad on the knee or a strap below the kneecap may reduce irritation and tension on the tendon and shinbone.
