Osgood Schlatters can be very painful for children. Even after it has gone hard knobbly lumps can be left just underneath the knees which may need surgically removing later in life.
Muscles need to have their flexibility maintained, and so do other soft tissues such as nerves and the passive tissues around your joints such as ligaments.
These tissues have different degrees of elasticity and respond to different types of loading. It is really important before embarking on a streching routine for kid that the parents understand some of the basic types of streches and when they ought to be used.
Neural tension can be felt usually with a combined elongation of both spinal cord and limb. The angle that the child moves their limb and distal joints determines which nerves are targeted. The spine typically needs to be in full flexion, including the neck.
Adverse neural tension has been linked to repetitive strain injury in people who work with keyboards and other repetitive small range tasks. It is also closely linked with sciatica and low back pain. The tingling sensation you get when you reach maximally with your arm or towards your toes can also be linked. Often mistaken for a hamstring stretch feeling.
Effective mobilization of the said nerves is not done with a full end of range stretch that we are familiar with, but a sliding movement, back and forwards, which aims to release any tethering that has built up from scar tissue or previous injuries. It should be done extremely gently because nerves do not like too much tension and for just thirty seconds.
Nerves are the most sensitive structures in our bodies so take extreme care and attention. Any increase in pain or tingling means you have over-stretched. Due to the latency effect of nerves this may not be felt until the next day.
Joints may need to be stretched. They may have got tight due to injury or inactivity. In this case it will be the passive tissues such as specific ligaments or the capsule that may be tight. Specific ligaments again will need to be stressed in that particular direction and held gently for thirty seconds. Repeat three times. It takes longer with these tissues because of the greater content of connective tissue fibers which are inelastic.
Capsules can be stretched in the open packed position. Every joint has a unique position where the 2 surfaces are farest apart. For example the shoulder open packed position is full lateral rotation, abduction and slight extension.
Remember that stretching the capsule is also taking it to the point where it is most unstable which means possible dislocation position. So always take great attention with these types of stretches. Bear in mind that stretching should only be done if there is a lack of flexibility or for gentle maintenance.
Stretching is a healthy activity for people of any age. However for parents, encouraging the child to do the correct type of stretches before and after sporting activities can reduce the chance of Osgood Schlatters onset.
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