Hey Super Y Soccer Athletes,

We ran into a couple of athletes who are having some knee and achilles pain. At your ages it is common to have growth and stress related Osgoods or Severs problems. Osgood Schlatters is an inflamation of the patellar tendon with associated calcium deposits. It will not kill you but it can be extremely painful. It usually shows up in boys between 12 and 14 and in girls 11-13. Most athletes grow out of it in a year or two but it can leave some stiffness in the joints for many years. Severs is the same problem but in the achilles tendon in the back of the foot.

If you are having these problems take a look at your injury area. For Osgoods there is an obvious bump just below the knee cap. This can be on one or both knees. For Severs the back of the heel looks and feels very tight but it is hard to see. Sometimes the tendon pushes out or is flat rather than indented in as is normal.

Both Osgoods and Severs can be treated witha supplement called Oscon. You can check it out on the web at www.kidskneepain.com. I also suggest warming the affected areas with heat before practice or games. I am not an advocate of ice afterwards but if it really hurts this can help. I like to use Soothanol as a muscle run and topical heat. I always have it at Wednesday practices. any heat that does not irritate your skin will help.

You guys all looked great at practice. Make sure you take care of yourself.

Pat Pawlowski