Osgood Schlatter's Disease

Robert Bayley Osgood was a professor of orthopedic surgery and chief of staff of the orthopedic department in a Boston hospital. He published texts on orthopedic surgery and was an author of a 1909 monograph on diseases in the bones. In 1903 he spoke on the painful lesions of the tibial tuberosity in children and adolescents. Carl Schlatter, a Swiss surgeon was a professor of surgery at Zurich. Schlatter is known for performing the first successful total gastrectomy in 1897. He also published in 1903; a description of the same disease that was described by Osgood. The two then came together and named it Osgood-Schlatter's disease. Osgood-Schlatter Disease is an inflammation of the patellar ligament at the tibial tuberosity. It is characterized

With exercise, differences in size and strength between the muscle groups place unusual stress on the growth plate at the top of the shinbone. Osgood Schlatter’s usually strikes active adolescents around the beginning of their growth spurts, an approximately 2-year period during which they grow most rapid. Growth spurts can begin any time between the ages of 8 and 13 for girls, or 10 and 15 for boys. Osgood -Schlatter is more common in boys, but as more girls participate in sports, this is changing, and the risk is high. Doctors disagree about the mechanics that cause the injury but they agree on the fact that overuse and physical stress are involved with the injury. The growth spurts make kids vulnerable to the disease because their bones, muscles, and tendons are growing quickly and not always at the same time. It’s very rare that Osgood-Schlatter disease persists beyond the growing stage. Long-term consequences of Osgood-Schlatter disease is usually minor. Some kids may have a permanent, painless bump below the knee, but in most rare cases, they may develop a painful, bony growth below the kneecap that has to be surgically removed. Osgood- Schlatter’s usually goes away when a teenager's bones stop growing, usually between 14 and 18 years of age. Until then, only the symptoms need treatment. Rest is the key to relief of pain.There is a cruel irony that the most active kids are most likely to get OSD ,and also the ones least likely to rest the affected area. Doctors, in most cases advise that should kids limit the activities that cause pain. They might be able to continue their sports as long as the pain remains mild and bearable. When the symptoms cause more pain than usual, a short break from sports will be recommended. The basic and only treatment for