Causal therapy | Treatment of Osgood-Schlatter disease

Causal therapy

While cooling and pain treatment are symptomatic, the causal therapy of Osgood-Schlatter’s disease focuses on the cause of the disease. As already mentioned, one of the problems here is a bone tissue on the shin bone that is not fully developed or is in the process of remodelling. As a result, it is not possible to withstand the extreme forces acting at this site.

The therapy is therefore initially carried out by sparing and avoiding the sport in which the injury occurred. Sports such as cycling or swimming can, for example, replace soccer matches, at least for a short time, since they place less strain on joints and muscles. As soon as the pain subsides and an X-ray check is performed, the original sport can be resumed.

It is also important to strengthen the thigh muscles, which is achieved through physiotherapy. In overweight children, Osgood-Schlatter disease is also treated by drawing up a diet plan – after all, every excess kilogram of body weight puts a strain on muscles and bones. In severe and recurrent cases, a plaster splint or plaster tutor can be used in addition to protection. This is placed in a ring around the shinbone and stabilizes the torn out area: With every leg movement, the tendons and muscles are under tension and pressure and the tutor reduces the effect of the forces.

Surgical treatment

In extreme cases, however, conservative therapy of the Osgood-Schlatter is not enough and surgery is indicated. This can be useful, for example, if pieces of bone come loose from the shin bone (Latin, medically: tibia) and hang on the muscle tendon. During movement, these may drag along the rest of the tibia, causing severe pain and abrasion to the bone.

These bone parts can also grow again in “wrong” places, and thus permanently damage the muscle function. In Osgood-Schlatter’s disease, the detached bone particles (including the ossilla) are removed surgically, and the muscle tendon is reattached to the stable bone. As after every operation, this is followed by a rest phase lasting several weeks. However, surgery should only be performed at the end of the growth phase (after puberty), otherwise the risk of impairing the bone in its length and width growth is too great.You can learn more about the operation for Osgood-Schlatter’s disease here.