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Osgood-Schlatter's disease - Management
Basis for recommendation

Exercise within tolerable limits for people with Osgood–Schlatter's disease

  • Expert opinion supports maintaining exercise, even if it is necessary to modify the frequency, duration or intensity so as to be tolerable, because:
    • Continuing exercise provides important general health benefits.
    • The risk of serious complications, such as rupture, is very small.
    • Exercise helps rehabilitation by maintaining knee stability.

[Antich and Brewster, 1985; Bloom and Mackler, 2004; Brukner et al, 2007; Gholve et al, 2007; Rolf, 2007]

Managing people who cannot tolerate a modified exercise programme

  • For people with severe symptoms, expert opinion supports:
    • A limited period of rest, to allow symptoms to resolve.
    • Gradual reintroduction of exercise guided by symptoms, because this is considered to help maintain knee stability without substantially increasing the risk of serious complications, such as rupture.
    • Stretching exercises to reduce or prevent muscular shortening, because muscular shortening is thought to contribute to the development of Osgood–Schlatter's disease in some people.

[Antich and Brewster, 1985; Bloom and Mackler, 2004; Brukner et al, 2007; Gholve et al, 2007; Rolf, 2007]

Corticosteroid injections of the tibial tuberosity are not recommended.

  • A case series of 54 people with 70 knees affected by Osgood–Schlatter's disease reported the outcome of treating Osgood–Schlatter's disease by local injection of 40 mg methylprednisolone [Rostron and Calver, 1979].
  • A significant degree of subcutaneous atrophy and striae around the tibial tuberosity of eight of the injected knees was noted between 2 and 10 months after the injection.

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