Feature Story
The Hockey Doc on Osgood-Schlatter’s
syndrome
By Dr. Rob LaPrade,
M.D., Ph.D.
Let’s Play Hockey Columnist
QUESTION: My knees ache a lot after skating. I have been told that I
have Osgood-Schlatter’s syndrome. What is this and
what can I do for it?
ANSWER: Osgood-Schlatter’s syndrome is probably the most common cause of
pain over the top of teenage athlete’s knees. In some skaters, it can be quite
debilitating and can limit on-ice performance. Osgood-Schlatter’s
syndrome was named after the two physicians who originally described it. It is
caused by having very tight hamstring muscles while one is in a growth spurt.
Due to very tight hamstring muscles, it becomes more difficult for that
particular athlete to straighten their knee out. This puts extra stress on the
quadriceps muscles, on the top part of the thigh, to work harder to pull the
lower bone, the tibia, forward.
The location where the quadriceps muscles
are pulling on is at a small growth plate on the front of the knee. This is
where the patellar tendon attaches. Because of the extra force placed on it,
athletes with tight hamstrings are in effect pulling harder on this growth
plate then normal. This is where the pain comes from. In fact, the tight
hamstrings over time could cause this growth plate to be pulled forward enough
that one has a noticeable bump on the front part of their knee.
The treatment for Osgood Schlatter’s syndrome is based on treating the symptoms.
Because it is caused by tight hamstrings, one must work very hard on a
hamstring stretching program to address it. This could involve hurdler’s
stretches or just putting one’s leg out on a chair and reaching over it and
touching ones toes. The whole key to being able to affectively stretch one’s
hamstrings is to do it several times a day rather than just once a day.
In addition to hamstring stretching, it
can be useful to ice down the area after competition and also to take some
acetaminophen or any of the anti-inflammatory medications when one anticipates
putting a lot of stress on their knees.
Almost always, the symptoms of Osgood-Schlatter’s syndrome resolve once you stop growing. While
many people with Osgood-Schlatter’s syndrome have a
bump of bone where their patellar tendon attaches on their tibia, this is very
rarely an area of pain into adulthood. The main key with Osgood-Schlatter’s syndrome is to work on a good hamstring
stretching program and ice down the area after activity so that you can
continue to participate in on-ice activities without interruption.
Dr. Rob LaPrade,
MD, PhD, is the team physician for the