At Shoreline Orthopaedics, our orthopaedic surgeons use a truly collaborative approach so our patients have the benefit of multiple expert opinions, without having to go elsewhere to obtain them.
Shoreline Orthopaedics provides more comprehensive services, state-of-the-art options, technologies and techniques than anyone else in the area.
The following information is provided to help you understand what you can expect from us regarding policies and procedures, and also what is expected of you before and after treatment or procedures.
The following information is provided to help you gain a better understanding of anatomy, terminology, certain orthopaedic procedures, and more. If you have any questions, feel free to ask your physician.
The kneecap (patella) connects muscles in the front of the thigh to the shinbone (tibia). As you bend or straighten a leg, the kneecap is pulled up or down. This movement of the kneecap is accommodated by a V-shaped notch (femoral groove) at one end of the thighbone (femur). The medial patella femoral ligament (MPFL)—located on the inside (medial side) of the knee—helps hold the kneecap in place and stop it from sliding/popping off of the outer side (lateral side) of the knee.
The tendon in the front of the knee (patella tendon) connects the kneecap (patella) to the shinbone (tibia). In growing children, the patellar tendon attaches to the growth plate of the kneecap. This growth plate (tibial tubercle) is the bump near the top of the tibia where the patellar tendon attaches to the bone.
In Osgood-Schlatter disease, children have pain at the front of the knee due to inflammation of the growth plate (tibial tubercle) at the upper end of the shinbone (tibia).
When a child participates in sports or other strenuous activities, the quadriceps muscles of the thigh pull on the patellar tendon which, in turn, pulls on the tibial tubercle. In some children, this repetitive traction on the tubercle leads to the inflammation, swelling and tenderness of an overuse injury. The prominence, or bump, of the tibial tubercle may become very pronounced. Painful symptoms are often brought on by running, jumping, and other sports-related activities.
Most symptoms will completely disappear when a child completes the adolescent growth spurt, around age 14 for girls and age 16 for boys. However, if Osgood-Schlatter disease is not allowed to heal properly, it could result in more severe problems. Continued stress on the tibial tubercle from athletic activity may potentially lead to a break in the tubercle bone. Thankfully, this is not common. If it does occur, though, treatment for this type of fracture requires a cast or possibly surgery, and in order to heal properly, the child will not be allowed to participate in sports for a prolonged period of time.