Immobilisation in Osgood-Schlatter's disease

Report By: Gabby May - Senior Clinical Fellow in Emergency Medicine
Search checked by Gabby May -
Institution: Manchester Royal Infirmary
Date Submitted: 11th August 2006
Last Modified: 23rd August 2006
Status: Blue (submitted but not checked)

Three Part Question

[In children with Osgood-Schlatter's disease] is [the use of a long leg POP] the [most effective method of immobilisation to control severe pain]?

Clinical Scenario

A 12 year old boy with Osgood-Schlatter's disease presents to the ED with knee pain unresponsive to regular paracetamol and ibuprofen. You wonder if immobilising his leg would improve his pain, and if so, the best method for this.

Search Strategy

MEDLINE OVID INTERFACE 1966-Aug 2006
osgood-schlatter's disease.af. OR traction apophysitis.af. OR exp osteochondritis/ OR osteochondritis.af. AND Immobilisation.af. OR exp Casts,surgical/ OR exp splints/ Limit to humans and English

Search Outcome

64 articles found
none relevant

Comment(s)

Osgood-Schlatter's disease should be treated, in the first instance, symptomatically with analgesia. Previously, if the pain was unresponsive to this, then immobilisation in long leg POP was advocated. However, this is obviously cumbersome for the patient and there is no evidence in the literature to support its use as the best option.

Clinical Bottom Line

If pain is not settling with analgesia then splinting of the leg may be used. There is no proven method and options to consider would include POP, wool and crepe, or Richards splint.