3. Osgood-Schlatter Disease

Osgood-Schlatter disease is a knee ailment most commonly diagnosed in children and adolescents. It can cause a painful lump below the kneecap (patella) in children and adolescents experiencing growth spurts. It most commonly affects children participating in sports such as soccer, basketball, volleyball, and ballet since they involve running, jumping, and swift changes in direction. It can occur in one or both knees.

Repeated stress from running and jumping causes the tendon connecting the kneecap to the shinbone to pull away ending in pain and swelling. The resulting gap may be closed with new bone growth, which results in a bony lump below the kneecap. The pain of Osgood-Schlatter disease can vary from mild to chronic and debilitating. Anti-inflammatory medications and physical therapy may be a help to decrease pain associated with the disease. Osgood-Schlatter disease usually resolves after adolescence when bones stop growing.