Common Injuries In Children and Adolescents

Most Common Injuries:

Apophyseal Traction Injuries (growth plate)

• Highly prevalent during growth spurts.

• Includes:

  • Osgood–Schlatter knee

  • Sever’s disease (heel)

  • Sinding‑Larsen–Johansson (knee)

  • Strongly associated with rapid growth + high training load + sports

Osgood-Schlatter Disease (OSD)

Affects the tibial tuberosity, the bony bump at the top of the shin where the patellar tendon attaches 

Sinding-Larsen-Johansson (SLJ) Syndrome

Affects the inferior pole of the patella, the bottom tip of the kneecap where the patellar tendon attaches

What Can Physiotherapy Do?

As a sports physiotherapist, we come with a long-term plan that includes the child, the parent, the coaches in monitoring the child's pain, training load, and gradually integrating them back into sports under careful guidance of the physiotherapist.

We combine a combination of manual therapy, massage, exercise prescription and load management. We manage these injuries differently to adults with similar pain areas. It is important to remember that children's bones and cartilage are a lot less resilient than an adult. Therefore, it is important to manage them appropriately and individualize their management.

Rehabilitation plans usually involve at least 6 weeks of monitoring to ensure your child responds well and safely back to sport.