For week seven we will be introducing the final piece of the program, two advanced stretches. You will do these advanced stretches in the daily routine after the basic stretches and before the glute activation. Now is also the time to start increasing the range of motion of your squats, just remember to keep these in a 0pain free range of motion, and be sure to sit back into your glutes.
Just like last week with the movement skill, start all these new exercises very gently and be sure to read the instructions below carefully.
The daily routine is still to be done every day:
The workout needs to be done three times per week, with at least 48 hours rest between each one:
Remember to keep logging your pain levels before and after the days program
You made it to the last week, congratulations!
This week we encourage you to start increasing the range of motion of your squats to further challenge and strengthen your legs and core. We have also included two more advanced stretches, one for the quadriceps, and another for your ankles. Both stretches are very beneficial but they do place more pressure on your knees so be gentle starting these and if they still cause discomfort and pain stop immediately.
In order to beat your Osgood completely, you need to strengthen your quads and knees to the point that they are comfortable squatting into a deeper range of motion.
It’s time to start testing out a slightly deeper squat. Using a seat or bench to control depth, start gently trying to add just a little extra range of motion to your squat each session.
Depending on your height, limb length and coordination there is a lower limit to how deep you should squat, for most people, if you can achieve a 90-degree bend at the knee while keeping your back neutral (not rounding over) is a good long-term goal to strive for.
These advanced stretches are a huge part of the puzzle for not only eliminating your Osgood completely but also for enhancing your overall athletic performance.
WARNING:
The kneeling rec fem stretch below is our favourite quad stretch, as it locks down the rec fem from both ends so it has nowhere to hide.
Be sure to use something soft to rest your knee on and hold onto something for balance. Be gentle, the goal is a smooth even stretch. The closer your knee to the wall the more intense the stretch. Start very gently.
The knee to wall dorsiflexion stretch is a great general mobilisation drill for the ankle joint and stretch for the lower calf.
Be sure to keep your body straight (belly button facing the wall) and maintain alignment with the knee staying directly over the middle of the foot as you stretch.
Here Maddie is stretching her right leg (the front leg). Notice how she keeps her entire body and leg straight on to the wall
Congratulations on completing the Core Advantage Osgood Schlatter Disease Pain Elimination Program.
To minimise the risk of a return of your knee pain we recommend you continue doing the week seven daily routine every day, and complete the week seven workout three at least twice a week. Not only will this reduce the chances of an Osgood recurrence but it will also keep you strong and make you a better overall athlete.
The other thing to keep in mind now that you are feeling pain free and moving better is not to go overboard on your return to sport.
We recommend athletes perform a smooth ramp up in their sporting volumes and intensity, aiming to gradually return to full sport over a period of 4-6 weeks. For more advice and tips on how to do this, refer back to week five.
We have never seen this program fail when completed with 100% adherence. If you get to the end of the program and still have not had any decrease in your pain levels, please refer to the knowledge base for help with more specific problems and troubleshooting. If you wanted to get in touch directly please reach out via the Facebook Support Group.
Don't stop now, keep performing as much of the activity from week 7 on a weekly basis and be sure to check out our seven week running program. This was written as a follow on program from the Osgood plan as a way to help young athletes become faster and more efficient runners. You can find it on the Core Advantage website. Seven week running program.
Also, we would love it if you could leave us a program review for how you went, you can do that by pressing the link below. These reviews go a long way to helping us continue our mission helping athletes around the world treat their Osgood Schlatters. Review the program here.
