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Original poster

So worried about DS’s knees ☹️

35 replies

Suuudohnym · 28/08/2025 20:45

He’s 11. He told me yesterday that his knees often hurt when he’s walked a lot or does sport. And that they feel “creaky”.

He’s not mentioned it before (not sure why) but says it’s been going on for a while. They were hurting yesterday after walking round the shops and I gave him Calpol at bedtime.

I KNOW I shouldn’t but I googled and everything is telling me Osgood Schlatters syndrome - and that if you have that, you can’t really do sports.

Like lots of boys his age, his world revolves around football - he plays for a team, plays at school at any opportunity or whenever he’s out with friends. If he had to give it up, he would be absolutely devastated.

Has anyone had a similar experience and it not been OS? I am of course going to go the GP.

OP posts:
Bodyshopdewberry · 28/08/2025 20:46

Knee pain is one of the most common signs of a growth spurt. Put dr Google down.

Original poster
Suuudohnym · 28/08/2025 20:48

He has grown a lot recently…

I know I shouldn’t consult Dr Google…I’m just a bit of a worrier like that.

OP posts:
Original poster
Suuudohnym · 28/08/2025 20:54

Having said that, is there a way to know either way??

OP posts:
TheBossOfMe · 28/08/2025 21:04

DD has OS and plays hockey at county level. She has a good physio and knows how to protect her knees with the right supports

Original poster
Suuudohnym · 28/08/2025 21:30

Thank you @TheBossOfMe that’s good to hear and I’m glad your DD is managing well.
How did she get diagnosed - were there telltale signs?

OP posts:
LoserWinner · 28/08/2025 21:32

Get him checked out. Osgood Schlatters is a temporary nuisance, but if you don’t rest the joint, the long term damage is a problem.

Needlenardlenoo · 28/08/2025 21:35

Consult a physio, not Google.

CalpolOnToast · 28/08/2025 21:39

DS has it and wasn't told not to do sports, he was doing gymnastics at the time and now mountain biking, he just rests if it's tender. Does your DS have sticky out bits?

Original poster
Suuudohnym · 28/08/2025 21:41

No sticky out bits that I can see?

As I said, I am waiting on a GP appointment - I’m not expecting a mumsnet diagnosis, just looking for reassurance.

OP posts:
Keroppi · 28/08/2025 21:43

Sounds like a growth spurt
Does he have vitamins? Cod liver oil and vit D would be a good one
Lots of milkshakes
Maybe phone GP for advice

Original poster
Suuudohnym · 28/08/2025 21:44

Thank you. Yes, I looked at his multivitamins today and they’re not that high in Vit D so I bought him a different brand with a higher content.

OP posts:
TheBossOfMe · 28/08/2025 21:49

Suuudohnym · 28/08/2025 21:30

Thank you @TheBossOfMe that’s good to hear and I’m glad your DD is managing well.
How did she get diagnosed - were there telltale signs?

As other people said, sticky out bits! Coincided with a large growth spurt, managed by good physio and a sensible approach to resting when really sore and a great knee brace.

Jeska7 · 28/08/2025 22:09

If it is Osgood Schlatters…you need to go see a physio though as you don’t want to assume and do / change things and make it worse. So get it diagnosed properly.

My son has / had it too. He’s a bit older and plays football. I know at least three adult males who have had it too when they were tweens/teens. All played football. You need to go to the GP or better yet to a physio. My son just walked it to the physio’s room from the waiting room and she turned around to watch him walking and immediately said which knee was bothering him and what she thought it was. I couldn’t really notice but there’s a little lump below his knee. She made him do some exercises to confirm it was that. There’s nothing much they can do. It’s temporary though. She gave him some exercises to do each day and said to limit contact activities such as football and PE/games at school. He still did some football but missed a lot of it. I told Head of PE at school and they were great. He could miss activities or change activities if his knee was bothering him. It really bothered him for about six months, but it’s getting better now though. He has grown in height a bit recently. I think his height is getting more in proportion with his big feet!

Original poster
Suuudohnym · 29/08/2025 23:42

Thanks @Jeska7 So did your son have it more in one knee?

DS says it’s both equally and he describes the pain as being “inside”. He said today that he thinks he’s had it for ages but that it’s got worse over time. I asked him what “ages” meant and he said about 2 years ( but I’m not sure how good his gauge of time is at this age).

Felt his knees and couldn’t notice any lumps.

When they were hurting the other day and I gave him meds at bedtime, he said he woke in the night because he was hot and noticed they were still hurting.

I was trying to convince myself it was just a growth thing but not so sure…

OP posts:
Jeska7 · 30/08/2025 05:35

You need to get him checked out. It’s frustrating waiting for a GP / physio appointment but that’s all you can do. As others have said, it’s not good to self diagnose.

My son had it just one knee, but just as it was starting to get a bit better, he told me that he thought he was getting it in the other knee. He mentioned that a few times over the course of a month, but stopped mentioning it at all after that as it did seem to get better. And never seemed to develop in the other knee so perhaps something else at the time like a pulled muscle.

My son didn’t describe the pain in that detail so not sure if his description would be similar or not. He did have pain that lasted a while but often it was just for a relatively short period of time. It was made worse when playing football. He sometimes played for his club for a short period of time and then had to come off the pitch after 10-15 minutes as the running and any kicking of the ball aggravated it. He misses a lot of training and matches though.

IF it is Osgood Schlatters, it should get better by itself and cannot actually do much to help except pain relief / ice, and limiting or stopping contact activities. Unfortunately it can take up to a year (or maybe more) to sort itself out.

Jeska7 · 30/08/2025 05:39

My son had no concept of time / forgot when it hurt even though he’s slightly older than your son. I regularly asked him how his knee was and he said it hasn’t hurt for weeks, yet a couple of days prior he’d been complaining about it. Or he said it had been hurting a lot but had never mentioned it at the time (although some of that might have been when he didn’t want to do specific sports/games in PE or Games lessons at school.

OhNoNotSusan · 30/08/2025 06:11

dd had a diagnosis for osgood schlatter's, as above, it was temporary

FallingIsLearning · 30/08/2025 06:23

Take him to a physio.

Osgood Schlatter’s causes pain at the tibial tuberosity (follow the tendon down from the kneecap to the next bony prominence and it should be tender there). It is a traction apophysitis and as other say, it is common and temporary and settles with rest and physio.

It is only one cause of knee pain. Most are benign and managed by appropriate physical therapy. A good physio should be able to diagnose in the first instance, and if they feel that there is reasonable suspicion of a ‘medical’ cause of knee pain, they would let you know.

Studyunder · 30/08/2025 06:53

Leg bones grown so the muscles at the back get tighter and need to catch up in length. This means the knee is slightly bent for longer which increases the force over the front of the knee. Do daily, gentle hamstring stretches and avoid wearing flat soled footwear (football boots are the worst thing). Trainers with a high pitch and securely tie the laces every time.
Get a physio appointment, don’t panic. It’s a very common condition and while it has an impact, it’s temporary and really not that bad compared to so many other things people. It’ll all be ok.

Riverswims · 30/08/2025 08:24

my daughter has OS and it affects her quite a bit
I have it and it affects me daily as an adult
it’s not “temporary”

speckledjimmy · 30/08/2025 08:42

DS had Osgood. A good physio and. Few months rest sorted him. He just grew too quickly. It is such a distant memory now that I had forgotten tbh.

Original poster
Suuudohnym · 30/08/2025 11:35

Thanks for all the responses. Still trying to get a GP appointment - will do that first, then there’s a physio I’ve got my eye on so specialises in knee issues.

OP posts:
Studyunder · 30/08/2025 19:32

Riverswims · 30/08/2025 08:24

my daughter has OS and it affects her quite a bit
I have it and it affects me daily as an adult
it’s not “temporary”

It’s not physically possible to have OS as an adult. It’s irritation of the apophysis which you no longer have once you’ve stopped growing. There are different causes and reasons for anterior knee pain.

lljkk · 31/08/2025 18:48

I knew kid with OS who got better, no lasting effects, it wasn't that hard to fix. OS is a risk if kids ride bicycles with too large a gear so is reason competitive junior cyclists are restricted in what size chainrings their bikes can have.

the kid I knew with OS was a casual bike rider, btw, not a competitor.

Of all the things to worry about this one wouldn't phase me much. Kids do actually get random aches like us adults, too.

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