Symptoms and treatment of Schlatter's disease
Schlätter's disease (Osgood-Schlätter) is a pathology of the musculoskeletal system characterized by destruction of the core of the tibial bone. Most often, the disease is diagnosed in teenagers who are actively involved in sports. Football, volleyball, basketball, weightlifting, gymnastics, athletics, ballet and figure skating are sports that can provoke knee joint disease in teenagers. The disease occurs three times more often in boys than in girls.
Causes of Schlatter's disease:- intense physical activity;
- knee injuries;
- "chronic" microtraumas of the knee joint.
As a result of constant overloads and frequent injuries of the knee, there is a violation of blood circulation in the area of the tubercle of the tibia, small hemorrhages and rupture of the fibers of the patella.
Schlatter's disease in adults
In adults, the disease is diagnosed extremely rarely. Clinical manifestations: pronounced pain and swelling under the knee joint, slight increase in temperature, restriction of movement. Without proper treatment, bone growth can develop on the front surface of the leg. The disease does not have an acute onset and pronounced symptoms. Scientists consider heredity to be the main cause of the disease in adults. It is assumed that the disease is transmitted according to the autosomal dominant type. However, this is only a hypothesis.
Symptoms of Schlatter's disease
An early symptom of pathology is pain in the knee. At the initial stage, it is not pronounced and, as a rule, appears after long-term loads. However, over time, the pain intensifies, swelling appears, and it becomes difficult for a person to make even the usual movements.
Late symptoms of Schlatter's disease:
- constant swellings;
- swelling in the area of the knee joint;
- sharp pain with minor loads;
- impossibility to fully bend-extend the knee.
The disease is a chronic pathology with pronounced periods of exacerbation.
Diagnostics
X-rays of the knee joint, which the doctor will prescribe after examining the patient and taking an anamnesis, play a key role in diagnosis. For maximum completeness of the clinical picture, radiography is performed in different projections.
Additional examinations - computer tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound of the knee joint, densitometry, which will allow to assess the density of bone tissue. Laboratory tests - general blood test, blood test for rheumatoid factor, blood test for C-reactive protein.
Differential diagnosis of the disease must be carried out with syphilis, tuberculosis, tibial fracture and osteomyelitis.
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Treatment of Schlatter's disease
The therapy is carried out under the control of an orthopedist and a traumatologist. As a rule, the pathology is well amenable to treatment.
The treatment of Schlatter's disease is carried out according to the following scheme:
- providing the patient with complete peace;
- appointment of medical preparations;
- selection of physiotherapeutic procedures;
- recommendations on massage and physical therapy.
Drugs: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, pain relievers, muscle relaxants, vitamin D, calcium drugs. Medicines are prescribed in short courses in small doses. Treatment is long - from six months to a year.
Physiotherapy - UHF, magnetotherapy, electrophoresis with lidocaine, calcium or nicotinic acid, laser therapy.
Massage and physical therapy. Massage with anti-inflammatory and warming ointments is recommended. The physical therapy course consists of exercises that help strengthen the knee joint. Physical therapy will help reduce the load on the inflamed area and avoid many consequences of Schlatter's disease.
In severe cases with pronounced destruction, doctors recommend surgical intervention. Indications for surgery are the presence of complications and a long course of the disease.
Disease prevention, prognosis
Complying with simple recommendations will help prevent the disease and preserve joint mobility for a long time.
Disease prevention:
- avoid injuries;
- use protective knee pads;
- gradually increase physical activity;
- take vitamin-mineral complexes in the autumn-spring period.
Prognosis of the disease with timely medical help is favorable. In severe cases, after a course of conservative treatment, patients may have a bony growth under the kneecap.
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