Is your teen an active athlete who’s involved in a lot of running, jumping or crouching? Have they expressed discomfort in their knees or shins as a result of extensive strain on them? If so, your young athlete may have Osgood Schlaters or Patellar Tendinitis: an affliction that’s becoming more and more common in active teenagers. And, for kids involved in basketball, baseball, wrestling or even gymnastics, it can be an affliction that sidelines their involvement for weeks and even months at a time.
Osgood Schlaters or Patellar Tendinitis is one of the more common sports injuries in Brampton, ON that affects boys in particular. Essentially, the quadriceps muscles that span the length of the knee and into the shinbone are flexed during activity, putting strain on the patellar tendon. After extended periods of use and strain, this tendon begins to pull away from the shinbone, which can cause immense pain in the athlete that it’s affecting. The first common sign that the affliction is present is a tenderness or pain in the kneecap, which can run downwards into the shin.
Like many sport injuries in Brampton, ON, Osgood Schlaters or Patellar Tendinitis comes with some early warning signs that can help alert you to its presence. One of the earliest and most common signs is an inability or a reluctance to bend at the knees. For example, if your teen is playing a sport like soccer, which requires a shin guard, they may not bend down to properly secure that piece of equipment: instead propping their leg up to keep the knee straight. As the condition gets worse, this reluctance to bend will also become more pronounced and could even hinder your child from running or walking properly.
One of the easiest ways to find out whether or not Osgood Schlaters or Patellar Tendinitis is truly the diagnosis is to have an x-ray done on the area to see what the position of the tendon is. Because this affliction is common during the growing years of a child’s life, an orthopedic specialist will look for damage near the growth plates as a clear indication that the patellar tendon is being strained. Thankfully, once realized and treated properly, this affliction rarely surfaces past the young teenage years of a person’s life.
Like most sport injuries in Brampton, ON, Osgood Schlaters or Patellar Tendinitis can also be treated very easily once it’s identified. For the most part, physical therapy is the most direct route in treating the affliction. It’s common for the affected area to be wrapped, iced and heat-treated to prevent swelling and ease muscle joints that have been strained as a result of the injury. The first and best thing to do, however, is to visit a medical professional to ensure that the affliction receives a proper examination. Paying a visit to the specialists at Paramount Physiotherapy & Sports Injuries Clinic will ensure that your active teen suffers as little as possible while they regain their stamina.