Osgood-Schlatter Disease: A General Overview

Abstract In sports and athletic lifestyles, there is an increased risk for injury as well as specific injuries that correlate with a respective sport. There is a particular disease that can occur in a number of sports activities called Osgood-Schlatter disease (OSD). It is named after two surgeons who originally founded the diagnosis in 1903. The biggest aspect of Osgood-Schlatter (OS), is that its target population are adolescents during periods of growth. The condition is not a disease that causes permanent or long-term disabilities. This paper will further discuss the different aspects of OS such as the main cause, common reported symptoms, varying forms of treatment, prevention methods and different physical therapy implications.
Cause and Etiology
The exact etiology of OS is idiopathic, making it unknown and debated over the years. The common theory is OS is an injury due to overuse. (Whitmore, 2013). It is believed that OS is caused by repetitive, forceful contractions of the quadriceps muscle tendon pulling on the “immature tibial tuberosity” (Tuong, White, 2011). This repeated traction force can be strong enough to pull bone fragments off the tuberosity or in worse cases, pull the proximal portion of the tendon off the tibia causing the tuberosity to become elevated resulting in pain and inflammation (Sullivan, 2014). The reason the condition is viewed at such a high level of importance is because the tuberosity is located on the epiphyseal plate: the site of long bone growth of every adolescent boy and girl. It is a “self-limited” disease that typically resolves itself with “skeletal maturity” (Whitmore, 2013). If an individual with a damaged tuberosity continues sport related activities, they will eventually increase the number of microtears resulting in a distinguishable bump that leads to more...