Osgood Schlatter's Disease

[Disney Ella]

Anybody have a child who's had this? DD10 has been diagnosed after having knee pain. If your child had it, did it ever happen again after the initial episode? The pediatrician said it could happen again for the next 1 to 2 years, which DD was not happy to hear. Was your child able to get right back into sports? What did you find helped (other than rest)?

 

[Virgo10]

Wow, other than MD's, I thought I was the only person who ever heard of this.

I've had OSD since I was about the same age as your daughter. Of course this was back in the "Dark Ages"... the 1950's. They really didn't have a clue what to do about it then and for the most part, it was lumped into that catch all phrase *Growing Pains*!

So for about 4 or 5 years I found it painful to kneel or bend my knee. About 15 years ago I was in a car accident and the same knee with the OSD hit the steering colume. They found some structural damage and a bone cyst when I had an MRI. Some of the problems were blamed on the accident but others were felt to be a result of OSD.

To this day I have a deformity of my left knee and pain from time to time. I would think that by now they would have better options for your daughter. Find a good orthopedic MD and see what he says about competing in sports, etc.

Good luck!

 

[Sandy V.]

Our kids have never had it, but two of our son's friends did. Both were around 6th or 7th grade when it started. One played soccer, the other football. (Both are sophomores in high school now)

You're right - rest was probably the best therapy for both of them. The soccer player did rest completely for about a month, then he started up again. He iced/used heat on his knees and legs both before and after games and took a lot of Tylenol, all which seemed to help him. He's still playing soccer, and really doesn't have the problem anymore.

The football player, however, wasn't so lucky. He completely stopped playing sports for about 2 years because his never got any better and he was in constant pain. He decided to take up lacrosse and trained as a goalie . . . so he doesn't have to run up and down the field. That appears to be working for him.

I think that it truly is a case-by-case thing. Best of luck to you and your son in getting better!!!

 

[mickeyboat]

My brother had it around your daughter's age. It put an end to his sports career, although he wasn't all that interested, anyway. He still has problems with his knees today.

Denae

 

[Stitch Inside]

I had it in one knee in 5th grade. The Dr.s put me in a cast for a month. When the cast came off, I was just as active as before. Heck, I was active with the cast on. I played varsity soccer all 4 years in High School and never had any problems.
Mine was brought on by that one growth spurt. I guess since the next spurts weren't as extreme I had no more pain.

 

[tiff211]

Wow! I haven't heard of that in ages. I had it when I was about 12-13. I had to stop dancing for awhile and wore a ace bandage. I can't remember the details but I know it never progressed to anything more serious and I went on to dance for many more years without problems. Now, my knees crack when I bend but that's due to aging!!

 

[Galahad]

My Brother, now 45, had it as a kid as well. It did not put an end to his sports career. He was very short until he was 15 and then grew all at once, making his joints even weaker. No special medication that I recall, but it was 30 years ago. He was past the pain etc. by the time he was 16/17. He eventually had to give up running in his 40's from an Achilles tendon issue - completely unrelated.

 

[rockin_rep]

Anybody have a child who's had this? DD10 has been diagnosed after having knee pain. If your child had it, did it ever happen again after the initial episode? The pediatrician said it could happen again for the next 1 to 2 years, which DD was not happy to hear. Was your child able to get right back into sports? What did you find helped (other than rest)?

Yes, our DS also had it around age 12-13.

He too, was a soccer player and he too, took a little break and then came back without any problems at all.... well, except for his two football injuries, YIKES! (but thats another post for another thread!)

 

[pozey]

I had it when I was in junior high/high school...I was probably about 14 - 15. It was painful, but it never put an end to my athletics. In fact, I went on and played baseball in college.

I still have a small bump on my left knee and if i press on it with just a fair amount of pressure, it hurts.

 

[justjulie]

My son has it and it can be extremely painful. He's a soccer player. He has been using a Cho-Pat strap or a patella strap - they are pretty widely available. They don't look like much more than a piece of wrapped felt or neoprene strap but they do in fact work and he's been able to continue to play soccer.

 

[PlutoPony]

DH had it in his early high school years, brought on by a huge growth spurt (12 inches in 2 years - yikes). He cut back on sports for a bit but did go back to them and in fact went on to run track in college, making big time improvements. This was in the late '60's/early 70's and they mainly treated his with rest, but he was a "late bloomer" which may account for his "recovery".
Good luck with this!

 

[Tigger&Belle]

My son did not have this, but he had Severe's (sp?) Disease, a similar condition in the foot. For his problem he didn't have to rest it, but was given exercises to do that would help him stretch before baseball and other sports. He was able to continue with the sports, even though running hurt (was painful, it didn't cause any harm)--made him a very s-l-o-w runner for a season. He grew out of it after a few months.

There are a couple of boys on his baseball team with the knee problem.

 

[Virgo10]

DH had it in his early high school years, brought on by a huge growth spurt (12 inches in 2 years - yikes). He cut back on sports for a bit but did go back to them and in fact went on to run track in college, making big time improvements. This was in the late '60's/early 70's and they mainly treated his with rest, but he was a "late bloomer" which may account for his "recovery".
Good luck with this!

Needer, needer, I grew 2 inches in 2 weeks when I was 11. I was at Girl Scout camp and the nurse measured all of us when we started our 2 week session. Then she did it again the day before we left to go home. I can still remember the look on her face when she checked my records.

 

[Disney Ella]

Thanks everyone for sharing your stories. I'm hoping DD is not one of the extreme cases who has to give up activities. I'm going to look in the patella strap and see if that helps. The doctor also prescribed some exercises to strengthen the quadriceps that we,re going to try once she feels a little better.

 

[trip]

My 44 yr old sister in law had this when she was about 12. Don't know if this is related but right now she is home recovering from knee replacement surgery.

 

[phorsenuf]

My son (ds-15) has had this now for a few years. He can't kneel on them, its too painful. He runs track but it hurts to do so. I bought him some of the straps (wal-mart has them). They help some, but he doesn't always wear them. The Drs. has said he'll grow out of it eventually.

 

[Swimnoid]

I had it in 5th & 6th grade back in the 60s. I wasn't allowed to ride my bike or take gym which was fine with me. I was, however, allowed to swim. My daughter got it at about 10 or 11. Her treatment was do whatever you want according to the pain. She barely stopped anything. At the time she was swimming and doing taekwondo so the only thing that bothered her was kicking the bag. She has not had any pain since that time and she is 18 now. I have a kind of protusion at the top of my leg bone so I cant kneel on it but it doesnt hurt.

 

[LvsTnk]

My son has it and it can be extremely painful. He's a soccer player. He has been using a Cho-Pat strap or a patella strap - they are pretty widely available. They don't look like much more than a piece of wrapped felt or neoprene strap but they do in fact work and he's been able to continue to play soccer.

Same for DD she got it in 6th grade and she is a junior now. Still plays sports in HS with the pain.. golf, all-area soccer player, and basketball. She is VERY fast but did give up cross country. She uses the straps, lots of ice and motrin. Her knees can really swell up. She has taken up photography lately and boy am I happy!

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

My son has it too. He is 18 and he has had it about 5 years. He still plays basketball. It sounds a lot worse than it really is.