[soccerismylife]

Osgood Slaughters
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I was diagnosed withthis problem around 4 months ago and wanterd to share my experience so anyone with this isue can get relief.

Osgood Slaughters is a form or tendonitis and is usually diagnosed in active teens (soccer) during early adolecsense. Around 2 in ten will have some severity of it depending on how fast they grow. It is diagnosed normally in boys or girls that grow rapidly in a short amount of time. The syptoms are: large bumps right below the knee cap, and varying amounts of pain during exercise.

I got this disease when I was 12 but it can happen years later. I grew three inches in three months, six inches in a year, and one inch in a month during my most rapid growth spurt. On game day I could warm up, but after 30 minutes I could barely walk, even then with extreme pain. I could not play any of the game. During practices or games I could literally not walk off the field. It was terrible.

The problem is that boys or girls that grow too fast and their bones grow but the muscles don't grow as fast so they can't catch up. Where those certain muscles attach (in the knee it is a growth plate below the knee), that area gets inflamed by the muscles pulling on the growth plate. This is what cause the large bump. I've heard that this could happen else where but I haven't seen it.

The only cure is to wait for your muscles to catch up , but you can get rid of 99 percent of the pain in one symple step;STRETCH! I go to rehab also to help with stretching strengthening exercises and functional activities. You need to actually go to a rehab center but you can get a lot of progress by stretching. (If you live in the San Diego area I can tell you a great reab facility.)

Of course you should always get a good full warmup and cool-down. Some stretches you should focus on are:calves, hamstrings, quads, hip-flexors, and Piriformus. (Butt) These are the basic stretches I do before game. Hold each for 40+ seconds game day and 30+ seconds practice days. I also stretch during the day each stretch 5 times. Stretching through the day is IMPERATIVE!


Strength Exercises are very important. The reason to strengthen the muscles is that these muscles will put less stress on the groth plate area and will result in less pain. Some exercise I do once a day are squats, lunges, and calves exercise. The squats are normal except that I reach forward, right, left, back right, and back right. These are the three planes of motion and increase full muscle strength. Same thing goes for the lunge except instead of reaching right, left etc. you point your foot in that direction. I do these all with 10 pound weights(beginners could start with 5) in each hand and do each exercise five times all the way around. (reaching forward, right, left, back right, and back left is one.)

If you do these exercises and stretches it will help tremendously. I cna now play a full game and have no pain at the end. (Instead of the circumstance before rehab that I mentioned above)

[Tony Dellbird]

Yeah everyone has this at some point, luckily my came and went within a year, some people keep it for a long long time.

[AE1603s]

I had Osgood when I was 12 until I was about 14... It was two years of some pretty intense pain. I have two huge lump's on both knees now. Some advice, strecth your quads and ice your knees. It really help's.

[hawk_claw]

i got it last year when i was about 12.....it wasnt that bad...but i also had something else with my knees which hurt pretty bad...but now...im almost 14 and its almost compltely gone.....something that will go eventually i really had to cut back on playing too much soccer and basketball during that time otherwise it can make it worse

[soccerismylife]

Yes, mine has totally gone away laso, but because of Rehab. If, for example, I was to not stretch before a game, I would be almost as bad as before I started Rehab. Basketball is probably the worst thing you can do with Osgood Slaughters because it requires jumping which utilizes the quads, and the quads are the biggest muscle in your leg. I'm almost 14 also and I haope they will go away, so I won't have to be a Nazi about stretching.

[Richie]

Also their is an elastic type strap that you can buy in a pharmaceutical store that goes just under the knee for support. It lessens the pain a lot.

For over 15 take an advil and hour before game time it prevents swelling. Swelling makes the knee hurt.

[soccerismylife]

Yes, I tried the strap and it helped somewhat, but because of the severity of my case it wouldn't do as good as what I do mentioned above. As for taking the advil, it does keep the swelling down, which in turn keeps the pain down, but over an extended period of time it keeps the condition from healing.

[cajun___soccer]

yes i had it for about 2 years you need to ice it as much as possible and stay off of it, i too have 2 huge lumps in my knees and on ocassion they hurt but not as bad as those 2 years

[SLAM77084]

Originally Posted by cajun___soccer

yes i had it for about 2 years you need to ice it as much as possible and stay off of it, i too have 2 huge lumps in my knees and on ocassion they hurt but not as bad as those 2 years

Can you still play if you are diagnosed with Osgood Slaughters or should you shut it down.

Thanks

[soccerismylife]

You should keep playing for sure! Beware though, if you don't do the stretching and strengthening exercises it will hurt so much that you'll probably want to stop playing. Also be sure to ice, but don't take advil (or other anti-inflamation medicines)! If you stretch and do everything I said, you dshouldn't have to. If you need pictures of the stretches, PM me.