Your knee is a complex joint with many parts. These parts work together to give you the flexibility and motion needed for walking, running, and jumping. But with Osgood-Schlatter disease, knee pain can leave you on the sidelines. Osgood-Schlatter disease is an overuse injury that affects children and adolescents who play sports. It occurs more frequently in athletes who participate in sports that involve running and jumping, including:
-
Basketball
-
Volleyball
-
Sprinting
-
Gymnastics
-
Football
A knee with Osgood-Schlatter disease
When your leg moves, the thigh muscle pulls the kneecap. Next, the kneecap pulls a tough band of connective tissue. This tissue then pulls on a bony area at the top of your shinbone.
In some kids, all that pulling can cause Osgood-Schlatter disease. This causes pain and often swelling on the front of the knee.
The symptoms may limit your activities. This is because the pulling happens in an area of the bone that’s still growing. As a rule, growing parts of a bone are weaker than other parts. This makes the growing area more likely to get injured.
Online Medical Reviewer: Marianne Fraser MSN RN
Online Medical Reviewer: Raymond Turley Jr PA-C
Online Medical Reviewer: Vinita Wadhawan Researcher
Date Last Reviewed: 01/01/2025
© 2000-2026 The StayWell Company, LLC. All rights reserved. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Always follow your healthcare professional's instructions.
Related Articles
Understanding an Ankle Fracture
When you have an ankle fracture, it means that one or more of the bones in the ankle are broken. Read on to learn about details such as causes, symptoms, and treatment.
Heel Spurs
A heel spur is an overgrowth of bone where the plantar fascia attaches to the heel bone. Read on to learn how to care for yourself if you have a heel spur.
Shoulder Impingement Syndrome
The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that surround the shoulder joint. These muscles and tendons hold the arm in its joint. They help the shoulder turn. The rotator cuff muscles and tendons can become irritated from repeated rubbing against the shoulder bone. This is called shoulder impingement syndrome or rotator cuff tendonitis.
Muscle Spasm
A muscle spasm is a sudden tightening of the muscle you can’t control.
