braces for osgoods?

[gymfan4ever95]

Hey, I recently found out that I have Osgood Shlatters. It doesn't hurt every practice, actually it usually doesn't bother me too bad, but sometimes it really hurts when i am tumbling (usually on the tumble track.) Is there any kind of brace that you can use for this, and if so where can you get one?

 

[coachmolly]

I had Osgoods as a gymnast and never bothered to use any type of brace for it. It was annoying, but just dealing with the pain won't cause any further damage. I knew of a few girls that wore these:
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Not sure how well they worked, but they seemed to be pretty popular for a while.

 

[gracefulone]

Those types of braces are typically recommended. Depending on how badly it bothers you, the brace may make it normal, or it will just make it tolerable. That's how it was for me anyway.

 

[NotAMom]

I'll second the Cho Pat for OS. Each straps have a soft dowel embedded inside that pushes just under your knee cap to ease the pain.

Instead of the one show, go for the dual version. Link Removed

They stay on far better during practice and the velcro holds up much better. My older went through 2 sets of the single (it didn't take long) before we decided to try the dual. The duals have outlasting her pain (which went on for another few months) and they were passed down to her younger sister when she also had a need for them.

Also, there have been several recent threads on OS in these forum. Do a search to find them. You may find them useful as well.

 

[gymfan4ever95]

Ibthink i am going today to buy the one that coach molly described because i have seen those from the exact same brand at a store near where i live, i have never seen the other one before!! thanks everyone for your advice!

 

[NotAMom]

Ibthink i am going today to buy the one that coach molly described because i have seen those from the exact same brand at a store near where i live, i have never seen the other one before!!

They are the same brand -- Cho Pat. Just one is dual strap and the other one is just single. It's unlikely that you'll find the dual at a store. We've tried.

 

[gymfan4ever95]

Yea, thats the thing...i am trying to have it by tomorrow so i need what ever i can find first

 

[T.Gymnastics]

I had Osgoods as a gymnast and never bothered to use any type of brace for it. It was annoying, but just dealing with the pain won't cause any further damage. I knew of a few girls that wore these:
Link Removed
Not sure how well they worked, but they seemed to be pretty popular for a while.

This is what i have except its just a generic brand from wallmart or the drug store or something. sometimes i just tape it too

 

[gymfan4ever95]

Actually, when i got to the store, they didn't have my size, but i found another one that says it is for Osgood Shlatters on the back of it, and so i got that one. It is similar to the other one, not the duel one though, and it is black and from the name Muller.

 

[BeamPrincess]

They are worth it!!

I would like to say I think it is great to have the braces- they make a huge difference. I am a coach and I have a girl who recently got them and she hasn't complained once - usually we've had to take it easy especially on Vault and so it was getting frustrating.

Good luck and I hope it works out for you.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

mcdavid knee straps. not the one like chopat single strap. mcdavid also has one that straps above the knee as well as over the patellar tendon. you can find them online if your gym does not have them.

www.McDavidUSA.com "Link Removed"

 

[eeyoretumbles]

I would suggest going to your sports doctor and having her try getting you one. That's where I got mine and they have lasted me for 5 years. It's not like the Cho Pat, and I personally think it looks more comfortable, it's a band and inside the band is cushioning that supports and puts pressure on the osgoods.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

the mechanism of injury is where the bottom of the knee cap 'kisses' the tibial head [top of shin bone]. the strap, when applied correctly, has a pad that applies pressure to the patellar tendon and slightly lifts the knee cap. this prevents the knee cap from kissing the tibial head. it's quite simple as is the fix.

 

[bpatient]

the mechanism of injury is where the bottom of the knee cap 'kisses' the tibial head [top of shin bone]. the strap, when applied correctly, has a pad that applies pressure to the patellar tendon and slightly lifts the knee cap. this prevents the knee cap from kissing the tibial head. it's quite simple as is the fix.

No, actually Osgood-Schlatter disease is characterized by pain and swelling at the tibial tubercle (the point of insertion of the patellar tendon) below the knee joint. It's an overuse injury caused by repetitive strain and chronic avulsion (tearing away) of the proximal patellar tendon insertion from the tibia. Although bony growth plates (the areas where bones grow) are typically found at the ends of long bones in children, there are also growth plates at the point of tendon insertion; these are the weakest link in the muscle-tendon-growth plate-bone chain--which is why the stronger tendon is tearing away the bone attached to it on one side of the growth plate from the bone on the opposite side of the relatively fragile growth plate (on the rest of the tibia).

 

[NotAMom]

No, actually Osgood-Schlatter disease is characterized by pain and swelling at the tibial tubercle (the point of insertion of the patellar tendon) below the knee joint. It's an overuse injury caused by repetitive strain and chronic avulsion (tearing away) of the proximal patellar tendon insertion from the tibia. Although bony growth plates (the areas where bones grow) are typically found at the ends of long bones in children, there are also growth plates at the point of tendon insertion; these are the weakest link in the muscle-tendon-growth plate-bone chain--which is why the stronger tendon is tearing away the bone attached to it on one side of the growth plate from the bone on the opposite side of the relatively fragile growth plate (on the rest of the tibia).

OK, now pictures or English please. Seriously, I'm really interested to know but that just flew right over my head.

 

[Maitland]

OK, now pictures or English please. Seriously, I'm really interested to know but that just flew right over my head.

It's an inflammation of the growth plate at the top of of the shin bone (just below the knee.) The condition is caused by stress on the patellar ligament and causes excessive bone growth at the tibial tuberosity when the tendon actually pulls so hard it pulls the growth plate away from the bone (the bump is obvious when you know to look for it.) Not everyone should try to work through the pain as some cases are severe enough to cause permanent damage. It is NOT a one-size-fits-all condition and some kids need months of actual rest (hard to keep an athlete down, I know.) The straps can help, but not until the swelling goes down. Drills and Skills has a very thorough article on this.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

well yes. but i have to say that in all my years in gymnastics, i have never seen the extreme that you speak of above. these things are headed off at the pass by experienced coaches long before it gets to that point...i would hope.

and you're right. and not knowing the severity of this particular athlete, the swelling must be taken care of and then the straps work perfectly. i'm not aware of anyone that has had a problem with their use.

and more often than not, and i'm not looking for an argument, the problem is usually 'jumpers knee', or as i'm sure you know, patellar tendonitis.

 

[bpatient]

OK, now pictures or English please. Seriously, I'm really interested to know but that just flew right over my head.

Maitland gave a good general explanation of Osgood-Schlatter disease, and she pointed the way to a nice multi-part discussion at the Drills and Skills site:

An in-depth look at the pathophysiology and treatment of Osgood-Schlatter Disease - Part A

This illustration shows the location of the painful lesion, generally two or three finger-widths below the bottom of the knee cap:

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These two links include discussion of Osgood-Schlatter disease, along with some illustrations:

Google Image Result for http://www.hopkinsortho.org/orthopedicsurgery/images/Image14.gif

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Since Osgood-Schlatter disease resolves as kids mature, you might wonder if there's any point to therapy other than pain relief.

One reason is simply cosmetic:

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However, it turns out that adults who had Osgood-Schlatter disease as adolescents score lower than unaffected people on measures related to knee pain-related aspects of daily living and continued sports activity; a long-term follow-up study suggests that 1/4 of adults who [soapbox mode on] did not reduce their activity level and seek appropriate therapy [soapbox mode off] for Osgood-Schlatter disease as adolescents had some limitation in activities.

About 1/20 of children and 1/4 of athletic kids get Osgood-Schlatter disease, although it seems that it could commonly be confused with other knee problems. I don't know how most gymnasts who suffer from this problem are treated; I have the impression that it's common to use NSAIDs and knee straps to allow the children to continue to train.

Since she was diagnosed with Osgood Schlatter disease, my twelve year-old has taken five weeks off from anything that hurts her in gymnastics: that includes most of everything except some beam work and uneven bars (excluding her dismount). She's working with a therapist who expects her to return to full activity within a few weeks. In the mean time, she's been adding skills on bars, including a new release and an eagle-grip Endo that seems to the untrained eye to be certain to lead to long-term shoulder issues . I hope that we're not trading one problem for another. . . .