Frequently Asked Questions and Answers About Osgood and Sever's Disease

Incredibly. The success rate for this program, when done in full, is close to 100%.

We rarely meet a case of Osgood Schlatters or Sever's that isn't drastically improved or eliminated within 7 weeks of starting this program.

Most commonly athletes will see a 50% or greater reduction in their pain levels in the first 2 to 4 weeks with a steady drop to 0/10 pain by the end of the seven weeks.

It's important to state that these programs are designed specifically for Osgood Schlatter Disease and Sever's Disease. Other diagnoses may not respond as well. Be sure to have your knee pain diagnosed by a medical professional before beginning this program. It's also important to note that while the program is not hard, it does require consistency, a few minutes most days of the week to see these great results.

Most athletes feel a real difference within the first week, with full recovery typically inside the seven weeks.

Athletes with growing pains in their knees and heels are most commonly rapidly growing girls or boys, between 10 and 16 years of age, playing a high volume of sport with great intensity.

These young athletes often present with pain levels of around 7/10 when they start this program. Within the first week their pain is reduced by 50% (3/10). By day 21 most athletes are at a 1 or 0/10. By the end of the seven weeks the vast majority of athletes do not get any Osgood pain again.

The same is true for Sever's, with the pain being experienced in the heels or ankles.

Athletes with growing pains in their knees and heels come in all shapes and sizes, however the most common presentation is rapidly growing girls or boys, between 10 and 16 years of age, playing a high volume of sport with great intensity. They develop pain in their knee and it is diagnosed as Osgood Schlatter Disease.

These young athletes often present with pain levels of around seven out of ten when they start this program. Within the first week their pain is reduced by 50% (3/10). By day 21 most athletes are at a one or zero out of ten. By the end of the seven weeks the vast majority of athletes do not get any Osgood pain again.

The same is true for Sever's, with the pain being experienced in the heels or ankles.

Yes. Ages 9 to 16 is the peak range for Osgood so we have built the program specifically to suit children and teenagers at all stages of their development.

Our online training program was written with children and teens in mind, but it is also highly effective for adults still struggling with Osgood. To clarify, Osgood is highly unlikely to start during adulthood, but if you had Osgood as a child or teen it can persist, and our program is incredibly effective in these cases.

For adults (20 and older), before starting the adult program we recommend you get a medical opinion to confirm it is in fact Osgood Schlatters causing your knee pain, as this program is less effective for other injuries or diagnoses.

As long as your case isn't extreme you should be fine to keep playing and training, however it often helps to cut back by around 20 to 30% at the start of the program to let the knee calm down enough that you can actually start strengthening the quadriceps.

Instructions and guidance for getting this balance right are included in the program.

Yes. Ages 9 to 16 is the peak range for Osgood so we have built the program specifically to suit children and teenagers at all stages of their development.

Our online training program was written with children in mind, but there is no reason it wouldn't still work for an adult case of Osgood Schlatters.

The Adult Osgood program is a modified version targeted specifically at adults still struggling with knee pain related to Osgood Schlatters. We have had quite a few adults try the program and get great results, relieving their pain and increasing their function in daily life and sport.

Note: Before starting the program we strongly recommend you get a medical opinion to confirm it is in fact Osgood Schlatters causing your knee pain. This program is incredibly effective for Osgood but can be less effective for other injuries or diagnoses.

To be honest, not a lot. The programs follow a very similar progression plan. The biggest difference is that the adult plan may take a little longer, as adults tend to take longer to respond to treatment than children.

While both plans contain 7 weeks, expect it to take 8 to 12 weeks to follow the full progression as an adult with Osgood pain. The programs are the same price and contain very similar exercises, so you can safely follow either program as an adult and expect to see a quick drop in pain levels followed by a lasting improvement in knee function.

Children and teenagers should always follow the original junior program. If you are already a member and need a second program (for example, if you have both Osgood and Sever's), you get 30% off, applied automatically at checkout.

Our athletes-only gym is based in Melbourne, Australia, one of the world's most densely populated places for junior basketball players.

This popularity of basketball plus other tall athlete sports played on hard surfaces such as netball, Australian Rules football, and cricket means that Osgood Schlatter Disease is incredibly prevalent here.

With so many of our young clients suffering from Osgood and Sever's, we needed to find something that would alleviate their pain so we could continue helping them improve their athleticism. Luckily, our city is also home to some of the best physical therapy researchers in the field. We connected this research with the latest strength and conditioning practices to develop our 7-week program.

We have refined the protocols over the past 5 to 10 years with real athlete feedback in our gym and online. Hopefully this helps you too.

Absolutely. The sooner you start this program after being diagnosed the quicker your knees will respond.

In longer-term cases of Osgood (1+ year of continual symptoms), it can take a little longer to fully cure Osgood Schlatters, but this program will still work. A little more patience and a slower progression rate through the stages may be required.

The same is true for adult Osgood Schlatters; our program will help, but you will need to be patient.

You should listen to a trusted clinician. If having assessed you in person and investigated your case they still don't think this program is for you, it may be best to listen to their advice.

If they seem stubbornly insistent that it is indeed Osgood and you have no option but to rest and wait, then getting a second opinion may be a good option.

We generally find that physiotherapists (physical therapists) and osteopaths are better at diagnosing and handling Osgood than general practitioners (GPs).

Working online, we are not in a position to diagnose the cause of your pain. We recommend you seek a medical opinion (physiotherapist, physical therapist, sports doctor, or Osteopath) to confirm that it is indeed Osgood Schlatter Disease.

If your pain is diagnosed as something other than Osgood/Severs then we do not recommend trying this program. Other knee conditions may respond negatively to this program so a correct diagnosis is crucial. If you are still unsure, a second medical opinion can be quite beneficial.

Yes. The program is designed to help young, rapidly growing athletes resolve their Osgood Schlatter pain by mobilising and strengthening their way out of it so they can get back to playing the sport they love.

Please note: This program is designed specifically for Osgood Schlatter Disease. You should not begin this program without a medical diagnosis of Osgood Schlatters. The program clears Osgood pain in the large majority of cases, but it may not be as effective for other knee conditions.

First of all it's important to adjust and set appropriate expectations. In the first 2 to 5 weeks of the program, your results can vary wildly. Some people with Osgood become completely pain free and return to full functioning. For others the first 5 weeks feels like nothing is happening; they can take 10+ weeks to see a full recovery.

This is why we allow you to maintain lifetime access to the program, to let you be patient and go at your own pace through the exercises.

It is not uncommon for your pain levels to fluctuate from day to day or week to week. What is important is that the general trend is heading downwards. If your pain is going up, it might be that you need to adjust or reduce your sports and activity levels further, or review the videos for your program exercises to ensure your technique is on point.

Yes! Depending on the severity of your Osgood Schlatters, most athletes find they can maintain most if not all of their regular training and playing throughout this program.

As a starting place we recommend athletes reduce their training volume/frequency by 20 to 30% for the first two weeks to allow the mobilisation and strengthening work to take effect. From weeks three onwards, a gradual return to pre-injury playing and training loads should cause no new problems for most athletes.

Throughout the program use pain levels during, after, and the following morning from any sports activity as your guide. We recommend taking a full 36 to 48 hours rest until the pain settles if any of the following occur:

• A noticeable limp or favouring of the sore knee when running
• Pain levels go above 5/10 during a training session or game
• Pain the morning following a session or game is greater than 5/10

If unsure, err on the side of caution, especially in the first 2 to 3 weeks. We also have a free workshop on the main Core Advantage website that walks through load management and how to best return to sport.

If you have taken time off sport during or before this program, being patient with your return is important. Rushing back to full activity has a high probability of flaring up your knee pain.

The return to sport really is tricky: there is no perfect time or formula, but doing a little bit consistently before building up volumes is usually the best option.

We offer advice and guidance for your return to sport throughout the program. For a deeper dive, watch our free workshop on load management and returning to sport on the main Core Advantage website.

Almost always, the answer is no, at least for a few weeks. This is really important: it is not advised to start new sports or activities while doing this program.

A 'new' sport or activity is defined as anything you weren't or aren't doing regularly during your weekly routine. While novel activities are often gentler on the knees, the very fact that they are novel makes them a dangerous idea. For example, if you are a soccer player who rarely cycles, do not start cycling during this program.

Try your best to avoid novel activities until either week 5 of the program or your pain levels are consistently 2/10 or lower and you are performing above 90% of your regular activity levels, whichever comes first.

Note: The exception is when it is advised by your medical professional and you find that this activity helps with your knee pain and function. Novel activities are the major cause of knee pain flare-ups and slowed progress with the program.

We recommend you avoid performing other lower body strength training exercises (squats, lunges, etc.) while completing the Osgood training program as they can interfere with the recovery process. Instead focus on the exercises within the seven week progression laid out on the website.

Feel free to continue with upper body and core training if you have already been doing this regularly.

No. This program works brilliantly for Osgood as is. There is no need to add extra exercises or components to the routine. In fact, adding other components can actually have a negative effect on this program's results.

Do not panic about fitness. I repeat, do not panic about fitness.

Fitness, conditioning, or cardio is actually a really easy element to training and it improves rapidly. But there is no point being fit if you can't play because of injury and pain!

For the duration of this program, and while your pain is above a 2/10, there is no need to put any energy or attention into your fitness levels. Once you are pain-free and moving well on the court/field then usually fitness will take care of itself. There are also suggested fitness workouts in week 7 and we have an online conditioning program available via the Shop.

You can if it helps with comfort, but most families find they don't need it. Current thinking has moved away from routine icing for overuse injuries: even Dr Gabe Mirkin, who coined the RICE protocol, has since retracted the ice recommendation. This paper explains why.

Most people find they do not need to ice during this program. Ice can ease pain briefly, but it doesn't appear to change the underlying problem.

We generally steer families away from direct heat. It feels good in the short term, but it can add inflammation to tissue we are trying to calm down.

That's a question for your doctor or pharmacist, and you should follow their advice. In our experience anti-inflammatories don't change the underlying problem, so most families find they don't need them once the program is under way.

Painkillers are a decision for you and your doctor, and if they have been prescribed you should keep taking them as directed. What we would say is that in our experience they don't move the underlying problem along, and they mask the pain levels the program relies on, which makes it hard to gauge whether the training is working.

In our experience knee straps (the kind that apply pressure onto the tendon under the kneecap) can provide some level of pain relief, whether this is due to placebo or not we aren't sure.

If you already use them and feel they help, continue using them. If you don't and want to try them, we recommend this product on Amazon, but they are very much optional.

Knee straps can also provide protection from knocks and bangs which some people find very helpful. Alternatively, some people prefer padded knee sleeves instead, especially for court sports.

For Osgood Schlatter Disease, probably not. For Sever's Disease, probably yes.

In our experience the role of footwear and orthotics in Osgood Schlatter treatment is overplayed, and we don't see much of a change when making adjustments to footwear or inserts/orthotics. Every person is unique so they may work for you, but it definitely isn't a big factor for this program to be successful.

If you also struggle with Sever's however, then a heel wedge or orthotic can be incredibly beneficial in the short term. Check out our Sever's training plan →

Not necessarily. While having a leg extension machine certainly helps, similar results can be achieved with grocery bags or ankle weights at home. We will show and detail options for both gym access and home training throughout the program.

Softer is better to start with. Foam rollers can be bought from all sports stores and some department stores. Our favourite is the Trigger Point 13" original roller, which you can get online from Amazon and most sporting good stores.

When in doubt aim for a roller that is at least 30cm long (12"), 12 to 18cm in diameter (5 to 7"), and softer is better for young tight athletes starting out. The key factor is it should not have spikes, as these create unnecessary pain with no added benefit.

If you have not rolled before it is going to be painful to begin with but it's important that you persist, as this pain is directly linked to the same tightness that may be contributing to your knee pain. Over time the rolling pain will decrease with regular rolling and should be gone within the first week or so.

The Core Advantage Interval timing app is an optional extra to help you accurately time your stretching and knee isometric exercises during the program.

To download the app search 'Core Advantage Interval' on either the iOS App Store or the Google Play store, and we should be the first option that pops up.

You do not need to login to the interval timer to use it. The login section of the interval timing app is used as a booking system for our in-gym members here in Melbourne, Australia. You will just use the interval timers on the first page of the app for your exercises during the program.

Yes. The first two weeks of the program with the foam rolling and the knee isometrics are crucial to both the short term pain reduction and long term success of the program.

We assure you that pain and awkwardness on the foam rolling improves rapidly and even becomes enjoyable for most athletes! But the first few sessions can be uncomfortable as your tight and weak muscles become accustomed to the rolling. Starting with a soft, smooth roller is the best way of getting around this hurdle.

No. Massage sticks do not apply enough pressure to have the same effect, and while massage is a useful addition to your rolling routine, it should never be used to replace foam rolling. It takes extra hands to administer and is not a good practical long term solution.

Learning to roll yourself is a valuable life-skill for young athletes and doing this regularly has huge benefits for both helping with your Osgood and improving your long term performance and resilience. Rolling can contribute to faster running and higher jumping too!

There are clinicians online who suggest that rolling is a waste of time and ineffective. This has simply not been our experience with thousands of in-person and online cases of Osgood successfully treated. We can very confidently say that foam rolling is an essential element of treating Osgood in both the short and long term.

We have almost three decades of combined experience working in injury rehabilitation and high performance for youth and professional athletes. Foam rolling is one of the key factors we see in our athletic population that leads to fewer niggles and overuse injuries (including fewer cases of Osgood and Sever's), fewer aches and pains, faster recovery time, better warm-up, and greater overall improvements in physical performance over time.

Rolling is so cheap, so easy to do, and has such a high return for just a few minutes per day that we think it should be the first part of every athlete's warm up and cool down regardless of sport and experience level.

These concerns are grossly over-stated, and some of the science in these arguments is a bit off. We have been coaching athletes since 1999, and across more than 6,000 athletes who have completed our online program in over 45 countries, plus thousands more coached in person, not once has this issue of veins and valves presented for our team at Core Advantage!

It seems logical, but if rolling were intense enough to cause these issues, then skinny jeans, massage, compression garments, and leggings would all also need to carry these warnings, which they do not, because they are not risky items.

As long as you use a soft roller (without spikes), roll slowly, and avoid rolling directly on the joints, then rolling carries significant benefit with very little downside or risk.

Harder is not always better and in the case of isometrics there is a good chance heavier loads will actually make them less effective.

We suggest being patient and staying with the 5lb (2.5kg) for another week. If pain levels continue to go down, increase to 7lbs (3.5kg) and then 10lbs (4.5kg) the week after. Our coaching experience suggests that young athletes who freestyle on the load selection for their isos will also tend to be too aggressive on the re-load back into sport.

Once per day is appropriate in the first two weeks. Later in the program you will phase down to only doing them 3x per week. Instructions for this are laid out in the weekly instructions and in your training logbook.

No. Do exactly the amount prescribed in each week's instructions and in your training logbook. The program has been compiled with high precision through years of experience and refinement. Deviating from the prescription laid out in the seven-week plan is not recommended.

No. Squats are an incredibly beneficial part of treating Osgood Schlatter. We include them in our program in the mid to late stages of the seven weeks, after your pain has already started to reduce.

There are a few reasons why squats might be causing you pain:

• Squatting too deep. Shallower is better to start; range can be added and progressed later
• Squatting forwards. Too much weight is moving forwards into the knees rather than back into the hips; try for an even distribution between hips and knees
• Progressing too fast. You might not be ready for squats yet; refer to your pain numbers from the previous week and consider going back and repeating it

We provide detailed instructions to squat with good technique along with modifications inside the seven-week training program.

First of all, putting your pain numbers in perspective is really important, which is why we use the training logbook to log the pain numbers each and every day. Take a moment to look back at these numbers and reflect: are they going in a generally downward direction? Are they flat? Or are they going up?

If you started the program with 7/10 pain during week 1 and are now at a 6/10 or lower then this is success, congratulations! You might not be all the way fixed, but you have made a start. Every Osgood is unique so your pain numbers will progress at a pace that is appropriate to you. Be patient, and pay close attention to the details of each week's instructions on the website.

Here are some guidelines for progressing through the program:

• We encourage you to repeat a week over if your pain levels have not made any progress
• If a certain exercise or movement causes your knee pain numbers to rise during or after, stop doing it immediately, then review the exercise instructions and reduce the load or intensity if possible
• Reassess your training load. Many athletes can continue with their sport during this program but some do have to take a few weeks off; if you are still not making progress, try reducing your sports load

The first thing to clarify is how much they hurt. Go back through your training logbook and look at all the pain numbers: have they been trending down? Staying flat? Or up and down?

If they have been trending down but are not yet at a zero, this is completely normal, and your knees might just need a little more time to fully recover. Continue to follow the week seven plan and continue logging your pain levels.

If your pain has not gotten better at all then there are two potential solutions:

• You might have another underlying condition affecting your knees. Consider consulting a physical therapist/sports doctor to have your knees reassessed
• If it is indeed Osgood, you might have rushed through the program. Go back to week one and start again, this time paying close attention to the details

Remember, we offer a 100% money-back guarantee, so if you find out after a medical reassessment that your knee pain is not Osgood Schlatters, get in touch and we will refund the cost of the program in full.

Done in its entirety, with full adherence, this program resolves the large majority of cases. If you have Osgood or Sever's and you follow the appropriate plan, this program will provide relief for your knee pain.

Some knees are slower to respond (especially if you have had Osgood for a long time or are an adult sufferer) and may have to repeat certain weeks before progressing. You maintain lifetime access to the program so there is no need to rush through the seven-week plan.

Our #1 focus is helping you get out of pain and achieve a positive result. Our coaches are accessible through our online support community, and we are regularly logging on to answer questions, provide encouragement, or suggest modifications.

We are so confident you will see a positive result that we offer a 100% money-back guarantee: email us any time during the seven weeks and we will refund the full cost of the program, no questions asked.

When you purchase a training program from the Osgoodschlatters.net website, you get access to the full seven week program, an even more extensive knowledge base full of answers, plus access to our coaching team via the Osgood online support community for ongoing help and assistance during your program.

There are also a number of past parents and athletes who have successfully completed the program, and they are there to help too!