Knee Pain can affect 1 in 3 teenagers at some time or other.

KidsPhysio will assess the cause of the knee pain, testing the muscles to see if they are weak or tight, looking at your child’s posture and walking pattern to see if it is contributing to the pain, for example if your child has flat feet or knock knees.

KidsPhysio will provide an exercise programme to carry out at home. Other helpful treatments may be the application of tape to alter the way the kneecap moves, ultrasound or another electrotherapy modality to help reduce the inflammation and promote healing.

Sometimes, a short period of rest will help, although it is important that this is not too long as exercise is vital for healthy bones and joint. Your Physiotherapist will be able to advise you on when to rest and when to exercise as well as the most appropriate exercise for your child.

Osgood-Schlatter disease

Osgood-Schlatter disease is an inflammation of the bone, cartilage, and/or tendon at the top of the shinbone (tibia), where the tendon from the kneecap (patella) attaches. It is not really a disease and is one of the most common causes of knee pain in adolescents. Most often only one knee is affected. Osgood Schlatter Disease usually strikes active adolescents around the beginning of their growth spurts. OSD tends to be more common in boys aged 10 – 15 years.

Typical features include:

• Pain that worsens with exercise
• Relief from pain with rest
• Swelling or tenderness below the knee and over the shinbone
• Limping after exercise
• Tightness of the muscles surrounding the knee (the hamstring and quadriceps muscles)

Chondromalacia Patella is also known as patello-femoral syndrome. The pain is related to how the kneecap (patella) slides over the lower end of the thigh bone (femur). The patella is normally pulled over the end of the femur in a straight line by the quadriceps (thigh) muscle. Patients with chondromalacia patella have abnormal patellar "tracking" toward the lateral (outer) side of the femur. This slightly-off-kilter pathway allows the undersurface of the patella to grate along the femur causing chronic inflammation and pain. Certain individuals are predisposed to develop chondromalacia patella: females, knock-kneed or flat-footed runners, or those with an unusually shaped patella undersurface.

Typical Features include:

• Pain in the inner knee area, aggravated by activity (running, jumping, climbing or descending stairs) or by prolonged sitting with knees in a bent position (this is called the "cinema sign")
• A sense of "tightness" or "fullness" in the knee area.
• The feeling that the leg may give way.
• Loss of quadriceps (thigh) muscle strength and a reduction in quadriceps muscle mass.
• Mild swelling of the knee area.
• Grating or grinding sensation when the knee is straightened