How Does Osgood Schlatter Affect The Body & What Triggers It?

Osgood Schlatter Disease is a prime cause associated with knee pain in young teenagers and growing children. The disease characterizes via inflammation in the area beneath your knees. This is the area, where your tendon starting from the kneecap attaches to your tibia i.e. shinbone. The condition mainly develops at the time of growth spurts.

When the adolescence growth spurts take place, specific tendons and muscles grow at a faster rate and a varying rate. With consistent physical activity, the difference in the strength and size of quadriceps muscles put a high amount of stress over the growth plate present at the top area of your shinbone.

The growth plate is relatively weak and highly prone to suffer injuries as compared to other body parts and bones. Hence, it causes higher irritation at the time of overuse and physical stress. The irritation leads to a painful lump beneath your kneecap.⁽¹⁾

Osgood Schlatter disease has few of the common symptoms, such as-

• Leg or knee pain
• Tenderness, swelling and increase in warm on your shinbone and below your knees
• Worsening of pain with various high intensive activities and physical exercises, like running and jumping
• Limping after you do any physical activity

Severity associated with Osgood Schlatter’s symptoms varies among people. A few of the patients experience a mild form of pain while doing specific activities. Other individuals experience debilitating and constant pain to make doing physical activity difficult. However, symptoms often go away once a boy or girl completes his/her adolescence growth spurt.⁽²⁾

Complications associated with Osgood Schlatter takes place rarely. If they take place, they involve swelling in the local area and chronic pain. Even after you manage your symptoms, a bony bump remains present on your shinbone just below your kneecap. The bump may persist to some extent during the entire life of a child. However, it usually does not interfere with the overall knee function. In rare conditions, Osgood Schlatter disease may cause pulling away from the growth plate from your shinbone.⁽³⁾

Osgood Schlatter disease takes place at the time of the growth spurt of your puberty. During the growth spurt of your child, the muscles, bones, and tendons grow at varying rates. In this situation, the tendon connecting the person’s shinbone to kneecap pulls on the growth plate present at the top part of your shinbone. Sports and other related activities cause this disease repeatedly and in turn, injure your growth plate. The injury results in pain related to Osgood Schlatter disease.⁽⁴⁾

Common risk factors related to the disease of Osgood Schlatter are-

Sports: Osgood Schlatter disease mainly takes place with different types of sports, which involve jumping, running, and swift changes in your direction.

Flexibility: Tightness in your quadriceps muscles may increase the pull of the kneecap tendon over the growth plate present at the above area of your shinbone.

Gender: The disease of Osgood Schlatter is common in boys. However, because of the gender gap, there are large numbers of girls involved in sports may suffer from the disease.

Age: Osgood Schlatter disease takes place during the growth spurts of puberty. Age ranges may vary based on gender, as girls enter the phase of puberty relatively early than boys. Accordingly, girls suffer from the disease from 10years to 13years, while boys suffer from it from 12years to 14years age.⁽⁵⁾

Depending on the symptoms and complications (even though is rare), Osgood Schlatter disease affects the body of a person adversely. Also, you will find plenty of causes and risk factors to trigger your disease and the symptoms. However, in most of the cases, symptoms and complications go away once you reach your puberty.

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Also Read:

• Exercises for Patellar Tendonitis or Jumper’s Knee
• Patellar Tendinitis or Jumper’s Knee: Symptoms, Grades, Treatment- Knee Support
• Recovery Period & Yoga Poses for Patellar Tendonitis or Jumper’s Knee
• How To Diagnose Osgood Schlatter & What Is The Best Medicine For It?
• Are Knee Braces Of Any Help For Osgood-Schlatter?
• What is Osgood-Schlatter Disease, Know its Symptoms, Treatment
• How Long Does It Take For Osgood Schlatter To Go Away?
• Can Osgood Schlatter Cause Problems Later In Life & Does It Require Surgery?
• Can You Play Sports With Osgood Schlatter Disease & Coping Methods For It?
• Does A Knee Brace Help Osgood Schlatter & Can You Squat When You Have It?
• Is Osgood Schlatter Disease Genetic & Does Osgood Schlatter’s Mean I Am Still Growing?