5 best osgood-schlatter strengthening exercises

Osgood-schlatter is very common type of problem that many children have between the age of 10 to 16 years of age. In this post we are going to discuss about some 5 best osgood-schlatter strengthening exercises and other treatment options.

In osgood-schlatter disease, there is knee pain and inflammation just below the knee where patellar tendon attaches to tibia bone. It is more common in boys then girl’s.

Osgood-schlatter disease occurs in the growing phase of children at age of 10-16 years, at this phase of life our bones, muscles, ligaments and other body parts rapidly grow.

But to sports and other physical activities, there is extra pressure on bones and muscles which causes this condition in children.

Symptoms of osgood-schlatter disease

Symptoms of osgood-schlatter disease are:

• You feel pain after running, jumping, playing sports and other physical activities.
• There is pain in one of your knee but in some cases both of your knees are affected.
• Pain at tibial tubercle
• Muscles are tight at thigh
• There is swelling and inflammation at tibial tubercle.

Osgood-schlatter strengthening exercises

Reducing pain and swelling is the focus of treatment for Osgood-Schlatter disease. Limit exercise activity until your child can enjoy it without pain or discomfort. Rest from activity is usually required for few months, followed by strengthening exercises.

1. Quadriceps stretching exercise for Osgood-schlatter

• First of all stand comfortably on ground.
• Grab your one foot and pull it towards butt by bending knee.
• keep your back straight.
• Squeeze butt muscles.
• Have your knee below hip.
• Strech the quadricep muscles.
• Hold on this position for 10-20 seconds.
• Repeat this exercise.

You are going to feel stretch on front of your thigh in quadriceps muscle. Keep your knee beside other knee don’t spread your knee outwards.

2. Hamstrings stretching exercise for Osgood-schlatter

• Sit comfortably on ground
• Keep your legs straight without bending your knees
• With the help of any cloth, try to lift your legs up without bending knees.
• It stretches and strengthen your hamstring muscles.
• Keep your leg up for few seconds and repeat this exercise.

You feel streching at back of your thighs by doing this exercise due of streching of hamstrings. This exercise increases flexibility of hamstrings muscles.

3. Balancing exercise for Osgood-schlatter

In this exercise program, patient’s try to maintain balance and coordination of body. For this balancing exercise you have to do those 3 simple exercises.

• Standing on BAPS board – The full form of BAPS board is Biomechanical Ankle Platform System. It is used to maintain the balance and coordination of body after injuries and other physical problems.
• Single leg stance – In this program you simply stands on one leg and try to maintain balance of body.
• T-stance – In this exercise you have to stand on one foot and bend your body forward and extend your legs backward and strech your both arms sidewise.

4. Calf streching exercise for Osgood-schlatter

Calf muscles play an important role in walking, running and other daily activities, but due to tightness in calf muscles it causes stress in patellar tendon and cause osgood-schlatter disease.

For increaseing flexibility of calf muscles you simply have to stretch those calf muscles by sitting with straight legs and pulling front of foot towards you.

By doing this exercise you feel strength on your calf muscles. Stretching the calf can help alleviate knee pain.

5. Leg strengthening exercises for Osgood-schlatter

The knee pain is caused by lack of muscle flexibility. Keeping your leg muscles strong can helps you to reduce pain of osgood-schlatter in front of your knees. Your physical therapist will help you choose which exercises to you have to do.

Try to do knee exercises, hip strengthening, ankle strengthening exercises and do repeat those exercise for better outcome.

Osgood schlatter other treatment options

Icing – Icing the painful part of leg for around 15-20 minutes may help you to reduce the pain due to osgood-schlatter disease.

Brace – wearing brace helps in reducing swelling and inflammation at knee joint, Osgood Schlatter knee brace also helps in ease pressure at the base of the patellar tendon. 

When a child completes the adolescent growth of body suddenly increases, around age 14 for girls and 16 for boys, most symptoms will disappear automatically. Surgeries are rarely recommended for this problem.

Physical therapy for Osgood-schlatter disease

Physical therapy can help in relieving symptoms of Osgood-Schlatter disease. Balance, strengthening and flexibility of body can be improved by physiotherapy. Your child will be helped by a physiotherapist to do exercise.

Stretching the quadriceps, hamstrings, and calf muscles may be included in some of the exercises. They include exercises to strengthen the muscles of leg. The therapist will make sure the exercises are done safely.

Conclusion

We hopes that you find all the answers of your questions that, what is osgood-schlatter and what est osgood-schlatter strengthening exercises.

If you find any doubt in any topic then please feel free to contact us. If you are interested in this field or want to know more about Physiotherapy, then please read all our physiotherapy related articles, we mention almost everything related to physical therapy.