Treatment of Osgood-Schlatter disease

Osgood-Schlatter’s disease is an irritation of the patellar tendon (also known as patellar tendon) at its base on the shin bone. In addition to an irritation, this can also lead to the tearing of individual pieces of bone at the shin bone. The patellar tendon connects one of the strongest muscles in the body with the tibia – the quadriceps femoris muscle.

The function of this muscle, better known as the “thigh muscle”, can be explained most simply using the example of a soccer player: If a soccer player wants to shoot the ball, he first swings out with his whole leg, and then lets the lower leg whip like a whip – this is where the M. quadriceps femoris comes into play. Through the massive contraction of its 4 muscle heads, it pulls the patellar tendon upwards and stretches the lower leg. If the strain is too great and the bone tissue in the tibia is not fully developed, part of the tendon may tear. This often happens during puberty.

Symptomatic therapy

There are several options for the treatment of Osgood-Schlatter’s disease. Initially, one can proceed according to the PECH scheme: Pause, ice, compression, elevation. The foot must therefore be cooled and elevated.

Cooling prevents swelling, while elevating the foot prevents bruising. A break is useful for pain anyway. Excessive pain is usually additionally treated with an NSAID, i.e. a painkiller such as ibuprofen or paracetamol.

In addition to painkillers, heat therapy with hot compresses or a massage is prescribed. This may seem contradictory, but can be explained logically: In order to prevent an initial swelling, the affected area is cooled so that the vessels and tissue contract. In this way, less fluid can penetrate the tissue and the swelling does not become so “thick”. Once this initial phase has been overcome (usually after 1-3 days), heat therapy is recommended in order to stimulate blood circulation at the site and to promote the evacuation of the fluid in the tissue. In addition, heat loosens the muscles, which is also the aim of the massage treatment.