Abstract
Background:
Osgood-Schlatter Disease (OSD) is a common overuse injury observed in adolescent athletes, particularly soccer players who are exposed to repetitive, high-impact loading during their growth spurt.(1) Understanding the risk factors contributing to OSD is essential for developing effective prevention strategies that allow continued sports participation. In 2023, we launched a screening program targeting youth soccer players to better understand the epidemiology of OSD in this population. This study aims to investigate the incidence of OSD and its potential associations with age, annual height increase, body flexibility, and tibial tuberosity skeletal maturity to identify key risk factors that may inform prevention and early intervention efforts.
Hypothesis:
n/a
Methods:
We conducted OSD screening among 119 male elementary and junior high school soccer players, with a mean age of 12.3 years (9-15 years). Diagnosis was made by sports medicine physicians based on clinical examination and ultrasonographic imaging of the tibial tuberosity. Data were collected on participant age, 1-year height increase (as an indicator of growth velocity), body flexibility (assessed by physician and physical therapist-led examination), and tibial tuberosity bone maturity evaluated via ultrasound imaging and classified. Statistical analyses examined associations between these variables and the presence of OSD.
Results:
The incidence of OSD showed a statistically significant peak at age 12 compared with other age groups. The majority of cases were classified in the epiphyseal stage of tibial tuberosity development. No significant associations were found between OSD occurrence and measures of body flexibility or annual height increase.
Conclusion:
In this cohort of youth soccer players, OSD incidence peaked at age 12 and was predominantly observed during the epiphyseal stage of tibial tuberosity development in Japan. Neither body flexibility nor annual height increase showed significant associations with OSD occurrence. These findings suggest that skeletal maturation stage may be a key risk factor for OSD, highlighting the importance of growth-phase monitoring for early identification and prevention in young athletes.