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Hi all Arena folk,

Just a question regarding taping / bracing for Osgood-Schlatters (O-S):

I tend to see O-S fairly regularly affecting the textbook age group of active, adolescent, usually male patients.
Most are very resistant to reduce their high activity levels as they play for local sports teams etc - no matter how much I advice that rest and therefore quicker recovery will improve their future performance.

For these cases I regularly advise patella tendon bracing or taping whilst carrying out activity, alongside any stretching advice.

In a large majority of cases, symptoms fully resolve, and in the remaining the patient usually succumbs to the initial advice of a rest period and experiences resolution that way.

My question is whether there is any research out there for the use of taping and/or bracing?? and if anyone feels that continued activity with the use of bracing could possibly be detremental long term??

Regards

Mark

I haven't had to use taping or bracing. If I did, I would use a quadricep assist tape.
I find stretching the hamstrings and having the runners shorten their strides works well.

Regards,

Stanley

Your treatment is sound. As for long-term, I think it can be avoided if you get all the other issues right (foot biomechanics...jumping technique using more gastro-achilles eccentric work; quads length etc.)

As for research? The last bit I read about taping was the paper that nearly every physio swollowed hook line and sinker. It went on about lasting 20 minutes.

In practice, when one can strap a knee or elbow for instance, and prevent it from extending fully for a few days, well that 20 minute theory was tripe.