Can Osgood Schlatters Disease be Cured?

The current general recommended advice to treat or cure Osgood Schlatters Disease is to treat the symptoms of the condition which are pain and swelling, with general approaches. These include R.IC.E (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation), and possibly anti-inflammatory medication and to wait for the child to ‘grow out of it’

Whilst this is not incorrect advice, it does take a very, very long time (average 21 months), and is heart breaking to youngsters truly who love their sport. As shown on the image the child who suffered can grow into an adult with an enlarged tibial tubercle.

The other treatment cure, whose success rate is proven from scientific studies is The Strickland Protocol.

Chartered Physiotherapist J. Strickland (lead physio at the Olympic Games,
London 2012) says “When I discovered my protocol it was because I felt the standard advice was avoiding the issue, and something must be better than just symptomatic relief.

Jenny Strickland Continues…

I’ll use an analogy to explain this approach.
Q: If you have a dripping tap, do you want a mop or a spanner to fix the problem ?
A: Actually most of us would prefer to use both. The mop deals with the symptoms (water on the floor) but unless you deal with the cause (faulty tap), the problem remains and you just end up spending all your time mopping.

This is similar to my cure for Osgood Schlatters Disease.

Whilst it is fine to address the symptoms with rest and ice etc, the basic underlying cause has not been addressed. And this, in my opinion, is that of tight muscles and their inability to ‘grow’ as quickly as the bone it is attached to.

The ‘Strickland Protocol’ teaches you the parent how to apply the right treatment in the correct order, with techniques to measure success during the treatment period. The protocol then gives additional clear guidelines on how to safely return to sport when your child is pain free and what regime to use to keep it from re-occurring in the future.

It is not an ‘instant cure’. It requires parental participation for a few minutes a day and the determination and commitment of the child to get better. It is simple and cured children of Osgood Schlatters Disease.”

• Often advice to play along with pain to tolerance levels
• Some temporary relief from Ice and anti-inflammatory medication
• Rest helps but usually temporary relief only
• Stretching makes it worse
• Braces and straps may help but are painful to wear
• High recurrence rate
• Typically a long recovery time –average 21 months
• No scientific study as to efficacy
• Expensive multiple visits to health professionals
• Treats the cause not just the symptoms
• No Osgood Schlatters pain IS gain
• Short recovery time – average 3 weeks
• No drugs, medication, braces or additional expenditure
• Self-help routine – we teach you how to treat Osgood Schlatters Disease yourself
• Individual help via email throughout
• Pilot clinical trial presented at European College of Sports Science Conference 2008
• Ongoing development and research
• Successful in the treatment of other apophysitis conditions

The link to the Abstract of the presentation can be found here. This approach addresses some of the probable causes of Osgood-Schlatter’s disease and thus the symptoms resolve automatically. This can also be validated by checking Wikipedia : Osgood Schlatters Disease whereby the protocol is referenced under “treatment” section

There are no other treatment studies that have been published or validated to date.

There are many “Osgood Schlatter Disease cures” on the marketplace, especially on the internet. These range from expensive kits which contain vitamins, bandages and splints, to the services of sports injury clinics. Splints and braces can help to alleviate the symptoms but they can be uncomfortable to wear and to not deal with the cause which means that the condition will return.