It is not an everyday event where I get to assess something that is not ordinary so I'll be sharing with you my findings and thoughts.
I have never seen a patient with Osgood-Schlatters Disease throughout my 6 years of PT education and near 3 years of PT practice. I have often read about it and didn't pay much attention because I considered it a rare condition.
So, I had a new case a few days ago. His eval:
S: 13 yo, active, male. He complained about sudden left knee pain when he woke up in the morning a few days ago. He didn't do anything out of the ordinary apart from going to jump street but there was no problem. His mum said he suddenly had a growth spurt, otherwise he has been fine. No medical history or any trauma to his left knee.
O: Limping, visible swollen left knee, minimal
No redness, no increase in warmth but tender to touch
Visible bump over left tibial tuberosity in crook lying
No ligament integrity issues
A: I advised him to rest and to reduce any physical activity that would aggravate his left knee pain. I also told him to not ice his knee as there was no extra benefit other than pain control. I told his mom to consult an orthopeadic specialist if his condition doesn't improve in 1 month.
My clinical impression was based on his age, the onset of his symptoms and the bump over his tibial tuberosity.
PS: I did ask them to do a blood test (to rule out systemic inflammation) before I saw the bump on his knee.
I won't be able to see this client again cause he's migrating but I think he'll do fine.
I'm still learning even till today so I hope my readers would do the same. #physioislife
