Osgood Schlatter syndrome

clarkey cat

so this has flared up now, meaning I've had a very painful limp for a week now.

Does anyone else get this as an adult (mainly only teenagers get it) and does cycling, especially fixed, make it worse?



Its very painful

stuyd

How do you know its Osgood? If you have self diagnosed over the internet, there is a high chance you will be wrong. If not the person who diagnosed it should offer treatment and advice. Key points are rest from concentric exercise programme and embark on a quad stretching programme and glutes strengthening programme. It can't be resolved if you continue with the aggravating factor. But as I said as an adult there are many other thing that are probably more likely i.e. anterior knee pain/ tendonitis just to name to that I would be looking into.

On a positive note, Osgood will do you no harm it's just uncomfortable. Stretch a bit more and focus on other muscle groups for a few weeks and it will disappear.

clarkey cat

Cheers - I was diagnosed as a kid and it has never really gone away. Usually it just feels like a weak watery knee with pain in the 'bump' but sometimes it flares up and I can't do anything.

I definitely need to be more disciplined with stretching...

Other than Im just doing RICE and taking strong painkillers.
Just I know that sometimes riding fixed I feel like Im putting my knees through the mincer but that discomfort is more muscular, just wondered if it could trigger off the Osgoods.

walkingbootweather

stuyd wrote:

How do you know its Osgood?

CC can now balance his balls on his knee

clarkey cat wrote:

Other than Im just doing RICE

I can imagine that would make you feel better...



Sorry, I'm not helping much am I?

ManiaMuse

Sure it's Osgood Schlatter and not something else?

I had it as a teenager and have a lovely bump under my left knee. Was painful for about 6 months to a year or so because I didn't stop doing athletics and things while I had it. However I have never had a problem since it settled down. As far as I am aware the lump is just a permanent bony growth that shouldn't be painful as an adult once the bone has finished growing.

clarkey cat

yes it is OS syndrome, I've had it since I was 13 from doing too much sport. I'm 32 now. I have the bumps too, periodically they swell up and become very painful. Its not uncommon for it to continue into adulthood. Paul Scholes suffers, I believe.

WBW - that is very helpful, thanks. Forgot what a babe Annika is.

Cleat Eastwood

clarkey cat wrote:

so this has flared up now, meaning I've had a very painful limp .

A very painful limp what?

skybie

My daughter has it since she was about 7, she has lumps under both knees and they are so painful. She played football until she was 15 then had to give it up, she has been to hospital so many times and they tried many things including strapping them and even spoke about trying to remove the lumps and re-lining the bone but at the end of the day they said she will just have to live with it. She is 21 now and does no sports at all it's a really shame.

First.Aspect

Wasn't Osgood Schlatters one of the people on "Who's Line is it Anyway"?

Not sure that once the bones have fused it is still classified as Osgoods, but mine never got better either. Was the reason I gave up squash and running and went for non-impact sports. As far as I can tell, Rafa Nadal has it and Owen Hargreaves has it.

Its tendonitis. Treat it as tendonitis. Other than ice and heat/cold cycles, massage and all that jazz, to give the tendon some relief, make sure you stretch the quads. If they are tight you can make a difference in a fairly short time. In the short term, its possible to tape across the knee above the bone spur, again to give the tendon a bit of a rest - like trapping the string of a guitar on a fret. Feels weird though.

And give up running, if you run. Minimise impact sports while its sore, if you do any, including hiking.

I found out about Speedplays back in the 90's in order to give my knees an easier time cycling. I refused to do squats and other "high leverage" actions which would stress the knee tendon, when I was rowing. I think I naturally turned into a spinny cyclist as a result, as well. Mine are pretty bad, but they do continue to settle as you get through your 30's and I don't think about my knees any more. When I was younger, all of the above kept it in check.

And in answer to your questions regarding riding fixed - yes. Its a stupid fad in the first place, but in my experience anything which puts huge strain on your quads will risk the tendon flaring up All that strain is being transmitted through the tendon, because that's the muscle's anchor into the bone.

clarkey cat

First Aspect - thanks, that is hugely helpful.

Its a little bit better today. I still cant bend my leg but its not as painful as it was - I took the day off yesterday and just elevated it with an ice-pack all day.

I've just sold my fixie as I didnt think it was helping. Shame - they look cool!

What is this with speedplay system? Will this help do you think - I currently use SPD?

Cheers for your help.

Kieran_Burns

I've got this big bony lump at the top of my tibia on the right leg - is that what it is?

clarkey cat

Think that's your knee, KB.

First.Aspect

clarkey cat wrote:

First Aspect - thanks, that is hugely helpful.

Its a little bit better today. I still cant bend my leg but its not as painful as it was - I took the day off yesterday and just elevated it with an ice-pack all day.

I've just sold my fixie as I didnt think it was helping. Shame - they look cool!

What is this with speedplay system? Will this help do you think - I currently use SPD?

Cheers for your help.

I don't know if Speedplays help. It certainly helps that I like them.

I have crank bros on the mtb I'm using at the moment and I've used spd's and looks in the past. I find that other pedal systems give you float on the upstroke, but once you put the power through your foot, it stays more or less where it is. With Speedplays, your foot can twist at any point during the pedal stroke. Most people find this incredibly weird at first (hence the Zeros, which include the option to limit the range of angles through which this can happen) and some people never get used to it. However, I noticed when borrowing a set of a friend (attached to the bike I was borrowing) that my pedal stroke had a natural heel wiggle somethere around 6 o'clock. So I figure, if it wants to do that, why not let it?

The bummer with Speedplay cleats is that they are about as easy to walk in as ski boots.

Good luck with the knees - give them some tlc until its back under control, then just don't abuse them and I bet you'll turn round in 5 years and remember that they used to flare up from time to time.

clarkey cat

Cheers - starting to clear up now. Still a bit stiff and have a limp but no longer in agony...

My training for London 2 Paris has taken a bit of a battering though

clarkey cat

So this kept me out of action for 2 weeks, once everything looked okay I got back on the bike and covered 310 miles in 2 weeks to try and get some form ahead of London to Paris (which leaves on Friday) but playing with my son on Monday I banged my knee against the bed and its swollen up again really badly. I've had to pull out of London to Paris. I'm bloody gutted.

UndercoverElephant

Bad luck, Clarkey. Heal up well, though, and you'll be on to bigger and better challenges in future.

clarkey cat

Thanks UE. I'm eating an iced bun to cheer myself up.

veronese68

Sorry to hear that, hope it heals quickly. Something cold might help, eat some ice cream after the bun.

clarkey cat

brie and cucumber now.

walkingbootweather

UndercoverElephant wrote:

Bad luck, Clarkey. Heal up well, though, and you'll be on to bigger and better challenges in future.

+1.

I mean what is the worst that could happen?

clarkey cat

that is pretty much how I feel at the moment... well it would be if it wasnt for lovely codeine.


mmmmm.... codeine.

clarkey cat

here she is... little beauty. (I'm aware I haven't waxed in a while)

Kieran_Burns

clarkey cat wrote:

here she is... little beauty. (I'm aware I haven't waxed in a while)

That's EXACTLY what I have on my right leg.

It has a name.

I'm going to call it Ozzy for short.

cyclingprop

Should have been a fat kid like me.

Just got back from a charity L2P- was trip mechanic and got the roadside rescue van (complete with flashy lights) to drive for the trip. Fun, but supporting 60 riders and providing help for support drivers was exhausting. Absolute credit to some of the riders though, including one who had a quadruple heart bypass in FEBRUARY THIS YEAR, and another guy with diabetes who had a heart attack a year or two ago.

Which L2P was yours going to be CC?

clarkey cat

meant to be doing it for Alzheimers.
1) London to Portsmouth
2) Portsmouth to Mont st Julie
3) then into Paris.
I'm going to have to pay for all my pre-booked ferry, trains and hotel anyway so maybe I should go as a support mechanic or something. Thats not a bad idea.

walkingbootweather

clarkey cat wrote:

I'm going to have to pay for all my pre-booked ferry, trains and hotel anyway so maybe I should go as a support mechanic or something

Voices out of sight wrote:

Don't do it
Too many men have failed before
Whatever you do
Don't pay the ferryman.

Sorry should have posted this in Earworms....

cyclingprop

clarkey cat wrote:

meant to be doing it for Alzheimers.
1) London to Portsmouth
2) Portsmouth to Mont st Julie
3) then into Paris.
I'm going to have to pay for all my pre-booked ferry, trains and hotel anyway so maybe I should go as a support mechanic or something. Thats not a bad idea.

We did (and I rode the past 2 years):
1) London to Folkestone
2) Calais to Amiens
3) Amiens to Versailles

They would really appreciate it I'm sure, and it will be a GREAT experience. Don't expect them to have lots of tools though; I took my kit and ran surgeries am/pm of each day, and provided some moving support on the road.

Real range of ability and issues I saw - everything from "its making a noise can you help" (headset was dry of grease on a new specialized allez) to "the wheel doesn't turn round very well" (this guy turned up with a sheared axle, non existant pads and claimed his bike was 2 months old).

clarkey cat

went to a physio this morning (my first time ever, I thought they were just for people with delusions of being top sportsmen) and oh my god - I feel instantly a hundred times better. Its still a bit tight but I'm walking absolutely fine. Tempted to get the train to Portsmouth and do the France bit... but then again, I have just bought a lovely leg of lamb for Sunday...

Fingerbobs

Osgood Schlatter's is a traction apophysitis of the tibial tubercle in growing children/teenagers.

You can't have it once you are skeletally mature, something else will be causing the pain.

clarkey cat

Tru dat. I'm getting a proper diagnosis on Monday, however, the last diagnosis I received (aged 13) with respect my engorged tibial tubercle was Osgood Schlatters and the 'lumps' have never gone down nor ever felt totally benign so I'm inclined to believe my current problems are caused by / exacerbated by / related to my teenage problems. Hopefully I can put a name to a face / knee on Monday.

UndercoverElephant

clarkey cat wrote:

Tru dat. I'm getting a proper diagnosis on Monday, however, the last diagnosis I received (aged 13) with respect my engorged tibial tubercle was Osgood Schlatters and the 'lumps' have never gone down nor ever felt totally benign so I'm inclined to believe my current problems are caused by / exacerbated by / related to my teenage problems. Hopefully I can put a name to a face / knee on Monday.

I dare you to go to the doctors with a face drawn on it.