Osgood Schlatters

[JayLou62]

Hi,

My 15 year old dd was complaining of pain in her knees before Christmas. I booked a Sports physio appointment in early January. The physio has recommended that my dd cuts down on her classes especially ballet (she was doing 2 adv 1 RAD classes, 1 advanced pointe class, 2 advanced ballet classes, 1 tap, 1 modern and 1 free class per week; this has dropped to 1 Adv 1 RAD ballet class, 1 adv pointe class, 1 adv ballet class per week).
She has a ballet show in April which she really wants to do as they are doing 'Swan Lake'. I've bought her knee supports for Osgood Schlatters, which she wears for classes and she ices her knees after classes. She is still in a lot of pain. Her ballet teachers say she needs to dance through the pain, but I've read the only cure is rest.
I'm not a dancer, but don't know what to do for the best. My dd has another physio appointment next week. My worry is that she wants to do audition for ballet schools and auditions start from November this year. I obviously want her to be in the best condition possible for this but am worried about her knees. Can anyone help?

[TotallycluelessMum]

How much is she growing at the moment? My little dd has mild osgood schlatter and big dd had something similar in the heel ( severs) it stopped pretty quickly when the growth spurt stopped ( which could be soon, if your dd is 15) we were also given stretches which helped.

They did have to decrease their dance and netball but could keep limber and strong with other exercises ( the dance teachers tend to know quite a bit because it's not rare in active teens) so hopefully she'll be fit and ready for her auditions.

[JayLou62]

That's good to know....she's already 5ft 7ins! She grew rapidly last year (8cm in 6 months) but it's slowed down now.
Hopefully, she'll recover quickly

[bruno2]

My ds is 13 and always complaining of pain in his knees, he has had the last 3 weeks off from rugby and football and seems much better. His friend who was diagnosed with osgood schlatters was told to rest and do nothing for 3 months !!!! : Apparently rest is very important !

[LaceyLou]

My dd had osgood schlatters when she was younger, had to give up gymnastics altogether but desperately wanted to carry on dancing, the doctor recommended to take time off until it stopped hurting and then a week after that, and then to stop what she was doing whenever it hurt after that. Following this recommendation plus regular ice on the knee it soon got almost completely better with just a few aches every now and then, but rest is definitely very important!
Hope all works out for your dd!

[2dancersmum]

My friends DS and DD both had this when they were younger and she was definately told it was associated with rapid growth and that it usually resolved when the child stopped growing. Rest is very important. Her DD was told to stop ballet altogether for 2 weeks and then start again, but not to dance through the pain as that prolongs the problem and can cause further problems. Her DS had to stop football for a whole month and sadly he ignored the pain when he went back. It did stop his chances of becoming a profesional footballer but apparently football is one of the worst activities because of the running,twisting, turning and contact it involves for putting stress on the knees.

I would try not to worry about her auditions for next year. At the level she has been dancing and the number of classes, I am sure she will be well equiped to cope with the auditions. I think you were wize to cut the classes down to a minimum and I don't think it would do any harm to take a few weeks off from dance altogether and rest her knees, especially if she wants to do her show in April. That is a few months off yet and rest now may mean she she is pain free by then.

I hope she is soon out of pain and able to enjoy her dance again.

[Robin64]

Has a doctor told you it is Osgood Schlatters? If so, I would say be very careful and rest the knees/take advice seriously. I got this at about age 15 from doing lots of sport especially netball and I still have it 30 years later. Both my knees have bumps just under the knee cap and they still ache and can be painful especially in cold and wet weather. It started with one knee at the time and then both. If these bumps on the bone develop and stay it would probably mean never passing auditions for ballet training. Whether they would be an impediment to training in other dance genres I don't know as I am not an expert. It does change the look and line of the leg though. The bumps on my legs beneath the knee are very prominent. I can tell you from personal experience that I have always been self conscious about my knees because of the way they look with O.S and the bumps never went away. I did go to a doctor at the time but I can't remember taking time off from sports so perhaps this was why the O.S never went. Be careful and see an expert for your DD if you can - to be honest, your DDs ballet teachers are probably not experts in O.S and I don't think she should dance through he pain. Tell your GP that dance/physical activity is important to DD and can you be referred to a consultant. I don't want to worry you but I wish someone had prevented me from years of knee pain and aches if that were possible. My DD is a dancer and has grown to 5'7 at 14 years and I do understand how much they put into training. You are right to cut back for a while especially as your DD is at a high level for her age. Good luck, hope it gets better soon.

[TotallycluelessMum]

Robin64 is right about the bumps, they're the result of lots of tiny little micro-fractures from where the tendon is pulling on the bone (it's too tight because the rapid bone growth puts extra tension and strain on the tendon.)It is much better to rest/stretch when you feel pain BEFORE the bumps appear.

In our experience netball was even worse on the joints than dance, so worth signing off school sports too.

[francescasmum]

I was an international athlete in my younger days (I know, me! yes, unbelievalbe! - I bet there are other NAPMs out there who have hidden pasts!) and even though I'm (relatively) young (in my 40s) I've had to have both knees replaced in the past two years because of the excessive pounding I subjected them too twenty years ago, especially running down hill (apparently). LOOK AFTER YOUR KNEES please, wouldn't want anyone to go through what I've been through for the past 7 years with knee pain and 7 operations, not to mention, crutches, leg braces and injections.
On a good note, my knees are brilliant now and I am now able to go for long walks, tackle the underground and even jog up the drive (up hill is ok, I'm told!)

[Welsh Mum]

Yes look after your knees!! I used to do quite a bit of running (NOT to internatoonal standrd I hasten to add, but did do half anf full marathons) and also did my fair share of aerobics classes on unsuitable floors (my dr thinks that to blame for a lot of knee pain in 50-65 age group - how many of us did classes in church halls etc?). I am mid 50s and my knees are not good, easily the bit of my body that feels the oldest . They ache every morning and going down stairs is v painful.

I would not advise a teenager to "dance through the pain". I have always had the gut feeling that pain is the body's way of giving you a message.

ATM my body's message is "You are getting old!!"

[JayLou62]

Dd's knees have a slight bump underneath the knee, which I can feel if I touch it, but can't be seen. She's now hurt her toe from doing pointe (her big toe nail's black) and the Dr has suggested she no longer does pointe until her toe stops hurting She's miserable as she's just tried on her tutu for 'Swan Lake' and is now in both performances after another girl has dropped out. Trying to stop her from dancing is really hard (I have told her though that one dance show is really small in comparison to a future career!).
Thanks for all the advice

[Robin64]

Jaylou, has your DD tried toe protectors for pointe work? they look like little mini tube bandages but are a bit squashy and you can put them on individual toes. DD got them when we bought her last pair of pointe shoes. She had tried ouch pouches before but that was the first time I had seen individual toe protectors - my DD has a long big toe and stiff ankles so finds pointe work hard on her feet and toes. Make sure that you get her pointe shoes fitted by an expert fitter too because that can help especially if she does not have ideal shaped feet and ankles for pointe. We have tried several different types of shoe over the last couple of years but the last pair have definitely been better for my DD and have helped enormously. We found the fitter by accident on holiday but I would drive back there for another fitting even though it is quite a long way. Your DD could do her pointe classes but just on demi pointe to rest her toe. Perhaps you could go to a dance physio for some expert advice on the toe and O.S. Try ballet.co forum for recommendations for someone near you.

[mumamia]

Hi
Just to let you know I was a dance teacher and have run a ballet shop for 28 years I tell people not
to bother with all the expensive things to go inside point shoes.
I used through all my training and so do all my customers and my daughter BUBBLE WRAP you get a few
pops but I never got any blisters ever and neither has my daughter.
When I took my advanced many years ago I can remember the examiner saying to me I know what you
have got inside your shoes and I said does it matter as long as it works she said "not at all".
Animal wool is no good because it has nylon in it the friction rubs against the nylon in the ballet tight this
is what causes the blisters.
One word of advise is what ever you decide to use inside your point shoe you must take that with you when
you have a point shoe fitting because they can make a big difference to the size of the shoe that you end up with.
The toe protectors that were mentioned are normally used for people that tend to crossover their toes when they
are pointing their feet this affects their balance when on demi point so you should always try to splay your toes
out when on demi point to keep your balance.
At the end of the day it is down to the individual person that feels right for them.
I hope this has help a little bit and good luck with your daughter.
Maybe give it a try nothing to loose and has cost you nothing.
Regards
Mumamia

[Robin64]

I have never heard of using bubble wrap before. Wouldn't it just pop? How did the examiner know about it..was it from the noise? DD had her shoes fitted with the toe caps because the fitter suggested them but she did say not to use pouches but get the shoes to fit like a glove. However I think DD has gone back to the pouches too because she still found it quite painful. That said, now she has been doing pointe longer and it doesn't seem to hurt so much now. Her toes don't cross over but her big toes is long and her toes are very tapered. I think these are known as Egyptian feet - the worst for ballet probably. Only ever had one blister before and one painful toe but no problems now. Everybody seems to have their own pointe shoe secrets and routines. There are some good clips about this on youtube eg look at Australian ballet En Pointe video.

[mumamia]

Hi
Yes the examiner did hear a couple of pops but they were quite quiet maybe this was because I was in the exam on my
own so no other noise going on, but I do not think this effected my result.
Point shoes should fitt like a glove with no room for movement.
The way to know if a point shoe is wide enough for you (and I know a lot of shops do not do this) is to put your foot
inside the shoe rise up onto point and peel the back of the point shoe down the innersole of the shoe should not come
past your heel if it does the shoe is to big.
The 2nd thing is when you have the shoe on up on point again with the heel of the shoe peeled back the innersole of
the shoe should be in a straight line with your foot, if it twists to one side then the shoe is not wide enough for your
foot and this is what causes most people the pain. Also make sure toe nail are cut on a regular basis.
I hope this helps.
Mumamia