Knee Pain in the Youth Athlete: Management of Osgood-Schlatter’s, Jumper’s Knee and Sudden-Onset Anterior Knee Pain

Youth knee pain is one of the most common injuries we see in our clinic in athletes between 10-18 years old. With growing bones, high-impact sports and rapid physical changes, it’s no surprise that the knees take a hit. At Next Sports Therapy, we help young athletes recover from injuries like Osgood-Schlatter’s disease, Jumper’s Knee and pain experienced above or below the knee cap; and more importantly, learn how to prevent symptoms from worsening.

Why Young Athletes Experience Knee Pain

Knee pain in youth athletes often stems from a combination of overuse, poor movement mechanics and growth-related changes. During development, their bones often grow faster than their muscles and tendons can keep up, and this imbalance can lead to pain in or around the knee – especially during high-load activities such as running, jumping and pivoting. One of the biggest mistakes we as parents and practitioners can make is to assume children and adolescents are “small adults” and treat their injuries and pain like we would our own. However, this growing phase is a natural and necessary part of their development, and our goal is to decrease pain while supporting their body’s adaptations to development and their sport.

Here are three of the most common injuries we treat in growing athletes:

Osgood-Schlatter’s Disease

This condition causes pain and swelling just below the kneecap where the patellar tendon inserts onto the tibia (shinbone). It typically appears during growth spurts, often between the ages of 10-15 and can be between 3-7x more prevalent in males than females. Symptoms include:

·      Pain below the kneecap, worsened by jumping, running on hard surfaces or kneeling

·      A noticeable bump on the front of the shin

·      Tenderness with pressure or activity

How We Manage Osgood-Sclatter’s:

·      Temporary reduction in high-impact activities

·      Ice and soft tissue techniques for tight quads

·      Patellar tendon straps to reduce stress

·      Modalities including electrical stimulation and ultrasound to modulate pain

·      A rehab program focusing on flexibility and strength imbalances

Jumper’s Knee

Also known as patellar tendinopathy, this condition is common in athletes who perform repetitive jumping or sprinting (basketball, volleyball, soccer, etc.) and may also be worsened due to hard playing surfaces. Symptoms include:

·      Pain directly on the patellar tendon

·      Pain with squats, stairs or prolonged sitting

·      Stiffness or discomfort after activity

Our treatment focus in clinic would include eccentric loading exercises to strengthen the tendon, load management, manual therapies to reduce pain and increase function and retraining jumping and running mechanics.

Acute Anterior Knee Pain

Sometimes athletes develop sudden-onset pain in the front of the knee with no clear injury. This is often caused by rapid increases in training load, muscles weakness in the hips, core and legs, poor mobility in the hips or ankles, or improper running or jumping technique. Our approach the anterior knee pain is to conduct a full movement and strength assessment and prescribe a comprehensive exercise program based on the needs of the athlete. We focus on education regarding training load, proper footwear and recovery and prioritize a gradual, structured return to play to avoid the injury becoming chronic.

When Should You Seek Help?

Knowing when to seek help for your child may be difficult as growing bodies may be sore following exercise or competition. You should seek help when:

·      Knee pain lasts longer than a week

·      Pain interferes with daily movement and/or sport performance and participation

·      Swelling is visible, the athlete experiences locking in the knee or a feeling of instability or the knee “giving way” during use

Let’s Get Your Athlete Back Into the Game

Don’t let knee pain hold your child back. Book an assessment with Next Play Sports Therapy in Kelowna today. Our certified athletic therapist will help them heal, strength and get back to doing what they love!