Osgood-Schlatter disease.....

[Gettinripped]

i knew I had this. actually have it in both knees. well I've been having left knee pain that inhibits my range of motion and excercises that I can do ie, no squats, kunges etc..

aggravated it in december and finally went to the doc today. basically nothing can be done but exercises to increase strength in the quads. was hoping for more of a "yep, this is what it is, this is what we can do, you'll be as good as new in X amount of weeks"

anybody here have or know anyone who has this condition??

for those of you that don't know what it is, you can read about it here.

[Scooter]

Had it from 12-14 years old. Still have big bumps where the patellar ligament ties into the tibial tuberosity. Running was a bitch back then, thankfully it hasn't bothered me in years.

[Sylva]

Originally Posted by Scooter

Had it from 12-14 years old. Still have big bumps where the patellar ligament ties into the tibial tuberosity. Running was a bitch back then, thankfully it hasn't bothered me in years.

Same for me.

[Killer]

How old are you gettingripped? That is key.

I have the worse case I have ever seen. I still get some pain and am predisposed to patellar tendonitis.

I cannot do any exercises that does not allow me to sit back, such as hack squats.

When adding extra cardio to the mix with serious leg training, my knees will often be stiff when cold and I have trouble kneeling down or getting up from kneeling position quickly.

[Gettinripped]

I'm 33. be 34 in february. from the research I've done online, there is nothing that can be done. strength exercises to help hold the knee cap in place better are about it.

the xrays showed my knee cap was off center a good bit. i'm extremely bow legged too. from what i've read kids with knobby kness or bow leeged are more succeptible to it.

i played football from 3rd grade until I graduated and that's what created it. both of my knees have large bumps on the tibal tuberosity.

i found one site with 2 different people that had the surgery to try to repair it and it was dreadful on both, 1 even made it worse by shortening the patella tendon to the point he had extreme pain all the time from the pulling down of the knee cap.

i guess i'll be doing no squats or lunges, which give me the most discomfort. i can do half leg extensions and leg presses okay.

any other exercises that you can give me to help build leg strength and muscularity will be very much appreciated.

[Pixie]

Have it... have horrific huge bump on my knees from it. Can't do anything kneeling, but I'm fortunate enough that I usually don't have problems with my knees.

Good luck.

[Gettinripped]

glad to hear that for you pixie.

i have to say, the worst part about the hinderence it gives me is not being able to wrestle around with my 3 year old son.

keeping my knee bent for any length of time is just uncomfortable.

i'm hoping that with the therapy session I'm going to have, they will give me some good exercises to perform that will help bring it back to at least close to normal.

here's a really great article I found on the condition. if anyone has anything they've found that they'd like to contribute, I'd love to read it as well.

[Killer]

GettingRipped,

All you can do is manage it and avoid things you know will piss it off, there are no exercises that will help, unless you have some other stuff going on (like your tracking of your patella being off).

Having flexible quads should help some with Osgood's as the patellar tendon won't always be pulling on the tibia.

I know this, if you are going to be kneeling (like in CPR class) bring a couple pillows to kneel on.

[Gettinripped]

well, the problem is, my patella is tracking to the left. having this since 14 yo it's never been as bad as it has in the last 6 mos. I tweaked my knee just a bit some how at a concert. that was december 29th, since then, i can't do anything without the knee getting pissed.

also since then, there is a bump on the bottom of the knee cap where the patella tendon attaches. i'm assuming this is because it's off to the side and more noticeable now. there is no kneeling on it at all, even keeping it bent for more than 10-15 mins makes it begin to ache. by the end of the day, it's pretty sore. in the morning it feels much better.

i know that i should take 4-6 weeks off from the gym, but damn, it's hard to make myself, even then i'm not sure it will get any better.

just really sux, i mean i was hoping the docs would be able to offer some form of help. they didn't seem to concerned.

you ever wear knee braces?? does it help?? i'm just looking for some reprieve from the whole deal.

should have never worn slides to the damn sevendust concert. even more so should have never tried to cross the mosh with them on. guess thats what i get for being a fool that nite.

[Gettinripped]

found this online, you heard or tried any of these suppps??

Nutritional supplements that may be helpful based on the personal experience of a doctor who reported his findings, some physicians recommend vitamin E (400 IU per day) and selenium (50 mcg three times per day). One well-known, nutritionally oriented doctor reports anecdotally that he has had considerable success with this regimen and often sees results in two to six weeks.

A group of doctors has reported good results using a combination of zinc, manganese, and vitamin B6 for people with Osgood-Schlatter disease; however, the amounts of these supplements were not mentioned in the report. Most physicians would consider reasonable daily amounts of these nutrients for adolescents to be 15 mg of zinc, 5 to 10 mg of manganese, and 25 mg of vitamin B6. Larger amounts might be used with medical supervision.

Editorial Comment -- What you have just read is the traditional medical point of view. I have become convinced from kids in our gym that there is a very effective treatment for this stubborn disorder. I am usually skeptical of such claims, but there is a treatment called Oscon that, in the cases I have seen, really works -- and relatively quickly. You can reach the folks that produce it at OsgoodSchlatter.com. - USGyms (let us hear from you if you have a similar or different experience - email us).

"Oscon is fantastic. My son had reduced pain in 15 days. Pain free after 30. I made him take for 60 days and he has no further symptoms." G. Moore, Toronto, Ont.

[Killer]

Hey Getting ripped,

Sounds like your problem is more tracking than the Osgood's.

Maybe Pixie has some good patella femoral tracking advice, as it is a very in depth subject and I have not studied it for a long time .... (man I am getting old - haha).

Your patella tracks left? Is it your left or right leg? If it is the left leg, did the doctor talk about a lateral release with you?

What kind of Dr did you see? Was it a sports medicine ortho? It usually helps to go to one that often works with atheltes as they better understand our needs to be active.

I had a couple athelets get some pretty fancy braces to help with tracking, and they did not help any. But that was 11 years ago, so things may have changed, but I am guessing not. A brace just cannot counteract the muscles and the patella.

There is also a taping techinque called the McConnel Technique that uses special tape to try to help with patella femoral problems. I never had much success with that either - maybe for a patient who just want to walk around, but it did not help with any athletes.

I had tracking problems in my right knee and had a lateral release done in college. My right knee was tracking to the right, sliding out of the patella femoral grove and irritating my upper right groove/femur. There was a point where I was so irritated I could not squat or flex my knee without pain. After the lateral release, it was fine, except during 2 a day football practice where I had to pivot and drive off that leg.

[Gettinripped]

hey killer,
yes it's the left knee and it's tracking to the left. as of right now, i'm in the same position as you were, no bending down, squatting or flexing w/o pain and irritation.

i saw a sports ortho's PA. the doc came in for a brief moment only to suffice the insurance mandate that on a 1st visit you see a doc.

as I said before, i wasnt feeling the love from them. the PA basically chalked it up to OSD and said that I needed to have therapy to help strengthen the muscles involved.

what is a lateral release?? is it surgery?? I'll have to ask them about that on the follow up visit.

i'm meeting with the PT'ist in the coming days. I'll talk to them too.

thanx again for all the help and advice.

[Killer]

No problem. I feel your pain. I tried conservative treatment for a long time - about a year - to long. I saw a ortho back home and he told me I had to miss my college Soph season. It never got better so I had the release done that Dec.

They go in and cut your lateral retinaculum (tissue that supports your kneecap laterally). Simple via scope. Not a big deal at all.

Improper tracking can be caused by muscle imbalance and tightness. You lateral structures need to be streched, you can try joint mobillity on your kneecap (basically knee straight and you push your knee cap away from the pain, so medially - your PT will probably do this), and you need to strengthen your quad, esp your vastus medialis and your vastus medialis obliques (VMO) - not sure if I spelled those correctly. Your PT should show you some good stuff. This is assuming your are tight laterally and weak medially around your knee. There is a little device that your PT may have you wear around your VMO when you exercises (he will put it on a preset level) and you attempt to make the alarm go off by making sure you contract the VMO.

You may also have some tightness weakness at the hips that can cause improper tracking.

Like I said, it can be a time consuming eval. Listen to everything your PT says and ask questions.

BTW - the supps you mentioned. I do not know about helping with Osgood's, but I take all of those anyway!!! IMO most people should that are in the game.

Good luck!!!

In Jr High I made these little pads out of old thigh pads and shin guards to wear over my Osgood's during football in my Jr high years. Without those now way I could have gotten hit on the knee.

[Gettinripped]

very good information, i'll print this out and take it with me.

[Sue Me]

Got it as well, and just recently has it started to bother me again, but NO WHERE NEAR as severe as you got - just some pain post soccer, especially if I hit the gym that day...

Not that I have tried it, but didn't someone (Ulter?) say Var was prescribed at one time to treat it?

[Killer]

And of course, if you are flared up - ice after any activity that uses the legs.

[Gettinripped]

Originally Posted by Sue Me

Got it as well, and just recently has it started to bother me again, but NO WHERE NEAR as severe as you got - just some pain post soccer, especially if I hit the gym that day...

Not that I have tried it, but didn't someone (Ulter?) say Var was prescribed at one time to treat it?

not sure about that, but that would be interesting.