KNEE-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, PAIN, SYMPTOMS, AND SPORTS/RECREATIONAL FUNCTION IN ADULTS WITH HISTORY OF ADOLESCENT OSGOOD-SCHLATTER: A REGISTRY-BASED CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

K. Krommes¹, A. Bjerre Jørgensen¹, K. Thorborg¹, L. Christensen², M. Fabricius Nielsen¹, P. Hölmich¹

¹Sports Orthopedic Research Center – Copenhagen, Department of Orthpedic Surgery, Hvidovre Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark, ²University of Southern Denmark, Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, Odense, Denmark

Background: Osgood-Schlatter is a common growth-related injury in adolescence and can cause persistent pain, decreased function, and reduced participation in physical activity. However, little is known about the long-term consequences for knee-related health for these patients in adulthood.

Purpose: To investigate long-term consequences for self-reported knee health of adults diagnosed with Osgood-Schlatter in their adolescence compared to normative values from healthy age-matched populations.

Methods: We included patients aged 18-55 years, diagnosed in Danish secondary care with Osgood-Schlatter during the years 1977-2020, from the Danish National Patient Registry. They were invited to complete a survey.Knee-related healthwas self-reported on the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) on four subscales: Quality of Life (QoL), Symptoms, Pain, and Sport/Rec. Mean responses were grouped according to pre-specified age groups (18-25, 26-35, 36-45, 46-55 years) and compared using a two-tailed students t-test, to age-matched normative KOOS values derived from a healthy cohort(Williamson et. al., 2015, n=1000, aged 18-55 years).

Results: Out of 1218 patients identified in the registry,400 participants (33%) completed the survey (mean age 33.8 ±13 years, 65% men). All mean subscale scores were lower for the surveyed group compared to the healthy cohort (p<0.001). Mean differences between the two groups were (female/male): QoL subscale: 36/19 points (18-25y), 25/27 points (26-35y), 26/33 points (36-45y), 25/23 points (46-55y); Symptom subscale: 15/8 points (18-25y), 8/9 points (26-35y), 18/11 points (36-45y), 10/11 points (46-55y); Pain subscale: 19/9 points (18-25y), 11/12 points (26-35y), 13/15 points (36-45y), 16/10 points (46-55y); Sport/Rec subscale: 36/19 points (18-25y), 30/28 points (26-35y), 38/31 points (36-45y), 33/26 points (46-55y).

Conclusions: People diagnosed with Osgood-Schlatter in adolescence have significantly decreased self-reported knee health in adulthood when compared to healthy populations. Clinically relevant differences were seen, especially in terms of Quality of Life and function in Sport and Recreational activities.

Implications: Future studies should address the need for mitigating the potential long-term consequences of this condition and investigate a potential causal relationship between exposure from Osgood-Schlatter and long-term outcomes.

Funding acknowledgements: This study received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Keywords:
Osgood-Schlatter
Knee Pain
Apophysitis

Topics:
Sport & sports injuries
Orthopaedics
Paediatrics

Did this work require ethics approval? Yes

Institution: Capital Region, Denmark

Committee: Committee on Health Research Ethics

Ethics number: H-20016972