Osgood-Schlatter Disease: Practical Treatment for a Self-Limiting Condition

Abstract

Osgood-Schlatter disease is one of the most common causes of knee pain in active adolescents. It is a generally benign disturbance at the junction of the patellar tendon and the tibial tubercle apophysis, and treatment during its 12- to 24-month course should be matched to severity. Mild symptoms require only patient education and moderation of activity, but severe symptoms call for a period of rest (or, rarely, immobilization) followed by aggressive quadriceps strengthening. Other conditions such as Sinding-Larsen-Johansson disease may occur simultaneously, and long-term effects can include a prominence on the anterior knee or painful kneeling.