Immobilisation in Osgood-Schlatter’s disease
Date First Published:
August 11, 2006
Last Updated:
August 23, 2006
Report by:
Gabby May, Senior Clinical Fellow in Emergency Medicine (Manchester Royal Infirmary)
Search checked by:
Gabby May, Manchester Royal Infirmary
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
Search Details:
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
Outcome:
64 articles found
none relevant
none relevant
Author Commentary:
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.
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.