Many young people diagnosed with Osgood Schlatters are told they can’t play any sport for months or even years while they wait for their growth spurt to slow down and their pain to go away in it’s own time.
Not only is this tedious and heartbreaking for a dedicated athlete to endure, it actually flies in the face of rehabilitation science.
It doesn’t have to be this way. In fact we think it is hugely counterproductive.
Gone are the days of “waiting it out” for Osgood to go away.
Rest is not a cure for Osgood Schlatter Disease
The key to rehabilitating from most injuries, and particularly for tendon overuse injuries like Osgood, is to take a short period of time in what is known as relative rest. (Yes we think of Osgood as an over-use injury rather than a disease!)
Relative rest is not the same as total suspension of activity!
Relative rest means spending a period of time (2-14 days) with a *reduced* activity level to allow the knees some time to recover and adapt.
Press pause, then start back slowly.
For some young athletes this could simply be a 48 hours period of absolutely no running, jumping or sport, followed by a few weeks of gradually increasing training loads.
For others it might be 1-2 weeks of light activities (below a 6/10 intensity level) with no sessions longer than 45 minutes to minimise fatigue. After that they may gradually increase the duration of the activity sessions, before dialling up the intensity a few weeks later.
This is the individualized part of curing Osgood Schlatter and is tricky to answer for every case in a short blog post. But there are two simple tests you can use to determine if you got your loading correct.
1. How did your knees feel during and immediately after the activity?
2. How do your knees feel the next morning when you get out of bed?
In both cases they should not be causing you to limp, and not be above a 3/10 rating for pain.
If you do not pass these tests it indicates you need to dial your training back further until you find a level you can manage.
How long to recover from Osgood?
Osgood can take weeks to fix, or it can take years, depending on how you go about it!
The old method of simply waiting for the growth spurt to slow down enough for the pain to settle can take months or years. It also sets young athletes back a long way. This approach can lead to constant yo-yo'ing of Osgood recurrence for a long time after the growth spurt has stopped.
Alternatively a pro-active plan addresses the underlying reason for the pain by following a structured and progressive training approach rather than just rest. A great plan not only resolves the pain in a matter of weeks, but also develops the strength, mobility, and movement skill needed to protect knees and prevent Osgood from coming back.
This isn't a magic potion or pill, and requires dedication to the process from the athlete. But dedicated application of the plan usually results in recovery from Osgood in just a handful of weeks.
It is one of the most rewarding rehabilitations we work on in our gym and physiotherapy practice, and why this website and our at-home training plan exists.
Throughout our program The Secret to Curing Osgood Schlatters, we guide you through the exercises, warm up methods, and recovery instructions to get you back to sport as quickly as possible. We also provide the methods and tools to create consistency in your training week for strong, pain free knees.
In seven short weeks, eliminate your Osgood Schlatters and return to sport pain free and stronger than ever.
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