Osgood-Schlatter is defined by a characteristic soreness and swelling at the tibial tuberosity. It usually originates in those between the ages of 9 and 16 who are both physically active and in a “growth spurt”. AKA “growing pains” (http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/pediatricsurgery/g/growingpains.htm) if unresolved it can be painful, of long duration, and have permanent detrimental effects both on the bone, as well as on a young athlete’s potential for both immediate performance and future college scholarships.
A recent Finnish study found that 13% of the teenagers of that country had symptoms of Osgood-Schlatter Disease. The disease was named after two physicians who defined it in 1903, Dr. Robert Osgood and Dr. Carl Schlatter. Currently there are over 25 million children in the United States of America who are in the susceptible age group. With over half of them engaging in some athletic activity, it is possible that 2 million American boys and girls may contract OS yearly. The initial injury is probably caused by the powerful quadriceps muscle pulling on the attachment point of the patellar tendon during activities such as soccer, basketball, track and other sports. The subsequent inflammation makes it stubbornly persistent. Once found mainly in boys, it now happens almost as frequently in girls.
A California biochemist who is also a youth sports coach, with the assistance of other medical professionals has developed several products to help control Osgood-Schlatter disease. For over twenty years he has employed a simple, safe and reliable formula of two essential nutrients, in conjunction with professional orthopedic appliances. These have very rarely failed to reduce or eliminate the symptoms of OS in his young athletes, as well as many others worldwide.
