Goose foot inflammation most often affects people who practice sports intensively - runners, cyclists, basketball players and swimmers. Unfortunately, goose foot inflammation is very easy to confuse with other injuries, therefore the diagnosis of the disease is often quite a problem. What are the causes and symptoms of goose foot inflammation? What is the treatment?

Goosefoot inflammationmeans inflammation of the attachment of three muscles: tailor's, slender and semi-tendon, which is located on the inside of the lower part of the knee on the shin bone. The term "goose foot" comes from the shape of the trailer, which resembles the membrane between the fingers of a goose.

Goose foot inflammation - causes and risk factors

The most common cause of goose foot inflammation are training errors, including: lack of warm-up, incorrectly selected shoes, incorrect exercise technique,overtraining , or training despite knee dysfunction, e.g. its instability, limited range of motion.

GOOD TO KNOW>>7 most common mistakes of runners, i.e. how to avoid injuries while running

Runners, cyclists, basketball players, football players, swimmers and people practicing racket sports are particularly at risk of getting goose foot inflammation.

Factors increasing the risk of goose foot inflammation include previous knee injuries as well as diseases and defects of the osteoarticular system, e.g. inflammation of the patellofemoral joint, Osgood-Schlatter disease (inflammation of the tibial tuberosity), excessive pronation feet (pointing inwards) or knee valgus (articulating joints inwards).

The probability of injury and inflammation of a goose foot is high also in people struggling with systemic diseases, such as diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis, and in obese people.

Goose foot inflammation - symptoms

The predominant symptom of goose foot pain is pain which:

  • is medium intensity;
  • felt below the knee, on the inside of the knee;
  • intensifies when trying to bend and straighten the knee, e.g. when climbing stairs or when changing positions from sitting to standingand vice versa;

In addition, there is local swelling and increased tension in the muscles building the goose's foot is felt.

Goose foot inflammation - diagnosis

In order to diagnose inflammation, a physical examination is performed, as well as functional tests of the muscles of the knee joint. Ultrasound is also helpful, thanks to which you can exclude bursitis in the area of ​​the goose foot.

In order to diagnose the disease, it is best to go to an orthopedic doctor who cooperates with athletes.

Unfortunately, goose foot inflammation can be confused with other injuries of the knee joint, e.g. with a collateral ligament injury, damage to the medial meniscus or degeneration of the knee joints.

Goose foot inflammation - treatment

At the beginning, you can apply cold compresses (e.g. made of ice cubes wrapped in a towel), which will reduce the swelling. Oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may be taken to relieve pain. Additionally, the affected area can be covered with an analgesic and anti-inflammatory preparation. If the pain symptoms persist for a long time, it is possible to inject the affected area with glucocorticosteroids.

In addition, the knee should be relieved, primarily by limiting physical activity. Elastic bandages or special knee bands are also helpful. It may be a relief to place the pillow between your thighs while you sleep.

Physical therapy may also be helpful in the treatment process, e.g. cryotherapy (reduces swelling), iontophoresis with an analgesic, laser therapy (relieves pain, has an anti-inflammatory effect), magnetic field (accelerates regeneration, has an analgesic effect, but it can use only 4 days after the injury) or ultrasound. You can also use dynamic taping, i.e. kinesiotaping. Special patches provide better stabilization and improve healing processes.

Surgical treatment is used rarely and only in cases resistant to pharmacological treatment.

Goose foot inflammation - rehabilitation. What exercises to do?

In the treatment process, rehabilitation plays a very important role, during which stretching and relaxing exercises for tense and contracted muscles and other soft tissues should be performed.