A painful, bony bump at the top of the shin bone, just below the kneecap. The pain from Osgood-Schlatter disease varies. It can be a mild pain that lasts only while you are playing sports, or it can be a constant pain that severely limits regular participation in athletic activities. Pain usually appears in only one knee, although in about 20 percent to 30 percent of cases, both knees are affected. To confirm the diagnosis, the doctor will examine your knee for pain, tenderness, swelling, redness and range of motion as well as checking the range of motion of the hip.
Treatment depends on the severity of symptoms.
In mild cases, the doctor will recommend that limiting activities that cause knee pain, especially anything that includes jumping or deep knee bending. If you do too much, you can make the condition worse. If the knee pain is constant, the doctor will probably recommend that the child stop playing sports altogether for a while. It some cases, the child may be asked to wear a cast or brace for a period of six to eight weeks, followed by rehabilitation to strengthen leg muscles. Very rarely, if knee symptoms are persistent and severely disabling, a doctor may recommend surgery to remove bone fragments.