Harriet Vane Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 I think my son may have Osgood-Schlatter disease. We have been to the doctor twice, and the other diagnoses they have suggested include Hoffa Syndrome and/or patellofemoral syndrome. He is an avid soccer player and extremely athletic. Has your child experienced this? My son has had an x-ray, which is clear. Should we pursue an MRI? How did you address it? Tips and recommendations? Did you allow your child to continue in sports? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valley Girl Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 My kid isn't an avid athlete, so the advice we got may not apply to your son's situation. Our pediatrician wasn't overly concerned and told us DS should eventually outgrow it. He advised him to back off the activity for a bit if things flared up and use an anti-inflammatory for any pain. That's pretty much it. ETA: I went back and looked at my notes from that visit. I knew I forgot something. The doctor also recommended putting ice on the knee during flare-ups. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albeto. Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 We received the same advice ^^^ Child also grew out of it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 We went straight to the orthopedist. He did a couple of weeks rest (he may have used crutches for a bit... I feel like I remember him on crutches, but I do not remember buying crutches!) The dr. recommended shoe inserts if it became a reoccurring problem, but he only had a few minor aches after that. FWIW, he grew FAST, and hasn't seemed to have any aches at all since hitting an average man size (around 14/15.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ananda Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 I hope I can be of help. My brother had it, and was also a serious soccer player. I know he needed physical therapy & was taking prescription muscle relaxants routinely. His activity was restricted for a few brief periods when it was really bad. He had various braces. I wouldn't take the wait and see approach with an athlete, they push through the pain and can get serious injuries. I don't know what was done to diagnose it. I'm just the sister so I'm hardly an expert. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan in SC Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Have you been to a pediatric orthopedist? I regret taking my 13 year old ds to an adult one for over a year. We found a pediatric one and he was treated appropriately and made a great recovery. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 One of my daughter's best friends had it and was diagnosed, and then my daughter had it but we never diagnosed it officially. I'm sure that's what it was. Her knees were in so much pain, I remember times my husband had to give her piggy-back rides while on vacation. It's most typical during middle school years. My daughter completely out grew it, and now climbs mountains. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daria Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 My son was diagnosed the summer before 7th when he was at a camp with daily soccer, rock climbing, and other sports. It was right before the start of his first season of football, so we were concerned. The orthopedist took xrays and used them to make the diagnosis, but I can't remember if they actually saw it on the xray, or if they used the xray to rule out other options. It was a few years ago, but as I remember the advice was to take a week or so off to let the inflammation go down, and then to use an anti-inflammatory before practice and ice after. They instructed him to stop specific exercises if they became painful, but said he could do anything that felt OK. They also gave him some kind of strap to wear on his knee, and said that we could try PT if it got worse, but their suggestions worked well enough that we didn't do the PT. I don't really remember when it went away, but it just gradually disappeared, which is with the orthopedist predicted would happen. I also think that football was easier on his knee than soccer, and that happened to be when he switched, although it wasn't the reason for switching. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Two children, two different protocols: child number one - told to use mild painkillers and wait to get over it; child number two - sent for a few months of physio, given a knee strap and excused sports at school. The one who had the treatment didn't get better any faster, I don't think. Both of them just grew out of it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefgazer Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 My DD, 13, has Osgood-Schlatter and some type of patella problem (can't even remember what the heck it is). She is also extremely athletic; the physical therapist said she was really over-the-top active. It first came to light during the last minute of the last quarter of her last game of basketball in 2014; her knee popped and she went down and that was the end of that; we've been dealing with it ever since. She told me her knee hurts *and* the area below the knee, so she has a few things going on. As a result, DD has been through the works: First ibuprofen and ice, and when that didn't work, she got on the XRay/MRI/physical therapy/shoe insert merry-go-round, which is how she got her diagnoses. Honestly, nothing except off the sports has solved the problem, although the ibuprofen and physical therapy temporarily put a stop to the pain, as long as she continued to take ibuprofen and attend therapy 3X per week. But that's not really fixing the problem, KWIM? It's just masking symptoms so she wasn't in pain, and as soon as she got off the ibuprofen, the pain came back. The doctor said O-S is common in young teenaged females and most outgrow it. This is a problem for sports, as you know. DD recently started year-round competitive swimming because the soccer and basketball were just causing too much pain for her and the swimming took pressure of her knees. So now she swims year around and dives in the summer; she has no pain as long as she doesn't try to play soccer or basketball. Would your DS be amenable to swimming year around in lieu of soccer? If not, can you pursue the matter with an orthopedic specialist? It's heartening to hear so many of you had kids who outgrew it. DD loves to swim, but she also loves soccer and would like to play again. I think my son may have Osgood-Schlatter disease. We have been to the doctor twice, and the other diagnoses they have suggested include Hoffa Syndrome and/or patellofemoral syndrome. He is an avid soccer player and extremely athletic. Has your child experienced this? My son has had an x-ray, which is clear. Should we pursue an MRI? How did you address it? Tips and recommendations? Did you allow your child to continue in sports? Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retiredHSmom Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 I had it as child, I was a very competitive swimmer so it didn't really affect my sport. I have a large bump below by left knee cap today and it occasionally aches but doesn't really stop me from doing anything. My son developed it in both knees. He is a very active martial artist and hiker. He wore a knee strap for about a year and took motrin when it especially bothered him. He did skip some exercise in martial arts as they were particularly painful and iced his knees after practice. He hiked a total of 175 miles in the year that it was the worst. He outgrew it about 18 months after it started. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 My dad and sister had this. My dad was stuck with 50s-era treatment and ended with a full cast on his leg for 6 months which didn't help at all. My sister wore a knee brace when it was hurting a lot and she didn't do dancing scenes in some plays she was in for a few months. Neither of them had any trouble with it after they outgrew it not long afterward, except for the bumps and knobs on their knees that sometimes ache a bit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted August 14, 2015 Author Share Posted August 14, 2015 Have you been to a pediatric orthopedist? I regret taking my 13 year old ds to an adult one for over a year. We found a pediatric one and he was treated appropriately and made a great recovery. I took him to an orthopedist who specializes in sports medicine. What treatment did your 13-year-old receive? What did the regular ortho recommend, and what did the ped ortho recommend? I will, of course, continue taking him to the doctor, but I would like to be as well informed as possible. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myra Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 My son also suffers from O-S. After he was diagnosed and playing soccer, one of the parents came up to me and mentioned that he was a chiropractor and could tell that my son had O-S. He suggested a visit and after a brief exam (free) made customized elastic brace with padding (free again!) made for my son. It made all the difference in the world! Myra 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 One of my nephews had it. He had to take an entire season off from soccer and lacrosse. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnsinkableKristen Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 My husband has OS, he grew out of the pain (continued to play football and soccer) and now is still an avid runner. He wears a knee brace or ices if the pain flares up, but honestly that could also be aging. And he still has his knobby knees :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmyboys Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 I had it and I still have a bump under my knee and it does occasionally ache (but nothing like it did as a teen). I did end up quitting gymnastics because of it. It was just too painful. The dr told me I could do any activity that I could tolerate. I hated quitting because I knew it wasn't causing more damage in my knee, but i just couldn't handle the pain. My dad also had os as a teen and he has no bump and says his knee never aches. The knee strap definitely helped me and icing afterward too. My mom wasn't big on giving "unnecessary" medicine, so I'm not sure if ibuprofen would help, but I think I will have my kids try ibprofren if they develop os. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 Not to be a pain in the butt here, but I am legitimately paranoid. When my daughter's knees blew up, that was the very first misdiagnosis we got for what turned out to be Lyme. Wouldn't hurt to check. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livetoread Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 My daughter turned out to have tracking problems that contributed greatly to her knee pain, though she was also diagnosed with O-S. PT helped a lot. She also quit the sports that involved lots of pounding or twisting. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan in SC Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 I took him to an orthopedist who specializes in sports medicine. What treatment did your 13-year-old receive? What did the regular ortho recommend, and what did the ped ortho recommend? I will, of course, continue taking him to the doctor, but I would like to be as well informed as possible. Thanks. Sorry- I just saw this. My son was diagnosed with O-S by the adult orthopedist. He is actually a great ortho for a Division 1 school. After a couple of months, we returned to be told that he also had tracking issues and would need to outgrow the problem. Pat was prescribed and my son was very diligent with the exercises. A few months after that, he was still in pain. I found a pediatric ortho for a second opinion and he did a lateral release on each knee, followed by more PT. It made a tremendous difference. His ped. ortho is good friends with the adult one. He said that he just thinks in terms of full grown legs vs still growing, so he didn't provide an appropriately aggressive treatment. My son had surgery last May and was back in the field by the middle of July. He wasn't 100%, but he was so much more comfortable. Your ds might have OS that needs to be outgrown, but I just wanted to make sure that someone dealing with pediatric athletes had seen him. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zimom Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 Went through OS with DD1, swimmer. She wore the knee straps and ibuprofen and icing as needed. For her it lasted longer then they expected (about 3 years altogether) but she has finally outgrown it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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