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. 2022 Mar 14;10(3):23259671221083567.
doi: 10.1177/23259671221083567. eCollection 2022 Mar.

Characteristics of the Kicking Motion in Adolescent Male Soccer Players Who Develop Osgood-Schlatter Disease: A Prospective Study

Seira Takei  1   2 , Shuji Taketomi  1 , Suguru Torii  3 , Michio Tojima  4 , Koji Kaneoka  3 , Sakae Tanaka  1
Affiliations

Characteristics of the Kicking Motion in Adolescent Male Soccer Players Who Develop Osgood-Schlatter Disease: A Prospective Study

Seira Takei et al. Orthop J Sports Med. .

Abstract

Background: Osgood-Schlatter disease (OSD) is an apophysitis of the tibial tubercle caused by repeated traction of the patellar tendon during adolescence. Although OSD is associated more with sports such as soccer, it remains unclear whether the kicking motion itself is related to OSD onset.

Purpose: To prospectively evaluate the kicking motion in adolescent soccer players who later developed OSD.

Study design: Case-control study.

Methods: The authors observed 47 Japanese adolescent male soccer players (mean age, 12 years) over 6 months in 2018-2019; none of the participants had OSD at study onset. The players underwent tibial tubercle ultrasound at baseline, and their kicking motion was evaluated using 3-dimensional (3D) motion analysis with 65 reflective markers. The 3D angle of the lumbar spine, thorax, and pelvis and the angular velocity of the hips, knees, and ankles were calculated for the support leg. The kicking motion was divided into 8 phases, and ball speed, kicking time, and positions of the support (nonkicking) leg and center of mass (COM) from the ball were calculated for each phase. Six months later, the players underwent another ultrasound and were divided into 2 groups: those diagnosed with OSD in the support leg (OSD group) and those without OSD (normal [NRL] group). All factors calculated using the kicking motion analysis at the baseline were compared between groups.

Results: There were 19 players in the OSD group and 28 players in the NRL group. Anthropometric measurements, ball speed, and kicking time were similar between the 2 groups. The forward translation of the COM and the support leg, the flexion angle of the thorax, and the rotation angle of the pelvis before impact with the ball were all significantly smaller in the OSD group than in the NRL group (P < .05). Moreover, the knee extension angular velocity of the support leg was significantly larger in the OSD group (P < .05) at ball impact.

Conclusion: A kicking motion with small COM translation, small thoracic flexion, and small pelvic rotation before ball impact, as well as large knee extension angular velocity of the support leg at ball impact, may be associated with OSD onset.

Keywords: Osgood-Schlatter disease; kicking motion analysis; knee; pediatric sports medicine; soccer.

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Conflict of interest statement

One or more of the authors has declared the following potential conflict of interest or source of funding: This study was sponsored by a grant from the Mizuno Sports Promotion Foundation. AOSSM checks author disclosures against the Open Payments Database (OPD). AOSSM has not conducted an independent investigation on the OPD and disclaims any liability or responsibility relating thereto.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Location of the 65 reflective markers on the body.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
The 8 phases related to the motions of the kicking leg and support leg.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
(A) Position of the center of mass from the ball (normalized to height). (B) Position of the support leg from the ball (normalized to leg length). *Statistically significant difference between groups (P < .05). COM, center of mass; NRL, normal group; OSD, Osgood-Schlatter disease group.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Sagittal tilt of the (A) lumbar spine, (B) thorax, and (C) pelvis. Positive values indicate backward tilt, and negative values indicate forward tilt. Rotation of the (D) lumbar spine, (E) thorax, and (F) pelvis. Positive values indicate rotation toward the side of the support leg, and negative values indicate rotation toward the side of the kicking leg. Circles indicate outliers. NRL, normal group; OSD, Osgood-Schlatter disease group.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Flexion/extension angle of the (A) knee, (B) hip, and (C) ankle for the support leg. Positive values indicate flexion, and negative values indicate extension. Circles indicate outliers. NRL, normal group; OSD, Osgood-Schlatter disease group.
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
Characteristics of the kicking motion in adolescent male soccer players developing Osgood-Schlatter disease.
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