Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome, Anterior Knee Pain, Exercise Therapy
Conditions
Keywords
Dynamic alignment, Tele-rehabilitation, Pain modulation, Muscle strength
Brief summary
Eight weeks of telehealth-based supervised exercise effectively reduced DKV and pain in women with anterior knee pain. Both intervention groups demonstrated comparable benefits.
Detailed description
This study compared the effects of knee strengthening combined with either hip or ankle joint exercises on dynamic knee valgus (DKV), visual analogue scale (VAS) scores during activity, tendon stiffness, muscle structure, ankle range of motion, and muscle strength in women with anterior knee pain. Forty-five female recreational athletes aged 20-40 with anterior knee pain were randomly assigned to three groups: hip + knee exercises (HK group, n = 15), ankle + knee exercises (AK group, n = 15), and stretching alone (control group, n = 15). The HK and AK groups received supervised telehealth-based exercise sessions (30 minutes/day, 3 times/week for 8 weeks), while the control group received only an educational pamphlet. Assessments were conducted at baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks.
Interventions
OTHERhip + knee joint exercise group
Hip: squat, glute bridge and gluteus medius exercise Knee: knee flexor and extensor, isometric squat hold
OTHERankle + knee joint exercise group
Knee: knee flexor and extensor, isometric squat hold Ankle: plantar flexor, dorsi flexor and lunge
OTHERStretching group
Education Handout on Lower Limb Stretching
Sponsors
Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
20 Years to 40 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
1. Female recreational athletes aged 20-40 years who engage in regular exercise 2. Experiencing pain in the anterior or surrounding patella during at least two or more of the following activities: walking, running, jumping, kneeling, squatting, climbing stairs, or prolonged sitting 3. A pain index of 3 or higher on the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) and symptoms persisting for at least 3 months 4. Knee pain unrelated to trauma.
Exclusion criteria
1. Inability to operate a smartphone or computer 2. History of fractures or surgeries involving the hip, knee, ankle, or foot 3. History of meniscus, knee ligament injuries, or ankle sprains within the last six months 4. Knee ligament laxity, inflammation, swelling, patellar dislocation, or subluxation 5. Cognitive impairment or inability to follow simple instructions 6. History of cardiovascular or neurological disorders 7. Advised by a physician to avoid exercise. Use of over-the-counter pain medication was not an exclusion criterion.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Single Leg Landing Task | 2 minute | The participant stood on a 30 cm box and first bent the non-testing leg's knee to approximately 90 degrees. After stabilizing, the participant jumped forward with the testing leg to a target 10 cm away from the box, maintaining balance for five seconds upon landing. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Numeric Pain Rating Scale | 1 minute | 0 indicates no pain and 10 indicates the worst pain imaginable. |
| Patellar Tendon Stiffness Measurement | 3 minute | The stiffness of the patellar tendon was assessed using a handheld device (MyotonPRO; Tallinn, Estonia). |
| Muscle structure | 15 minute | A portable ultrasound device (Linear wireless probe LU700L VET) was used to assess the structure of the gastrocnemius and gluteus medius muscles in a resting state. |
| Ankle Joint ROM | 3 minute | used a weight-bearing lunge test to measure the active dorsiflexion angle of the ankle during weight-bearing. |
| Maximum Voluntary Isometric Strength | 15 minute | A handheld dynamometer (MicroFET3; Hoggan Scientific LLC, USA) was used to measure the maximum isometric strength of the hip abductors, knee extensors, ankle dorsiflexors, and ankle plantar flexors. |
Countries
Taiwan
Outcome results
None listed