The Effectiveness of Two Physiotherapy Protocols in the Treatment of Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: medial patellar mobilization, quadriceps muscle stretching, training protocol.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Patellofemoral Disorder. Basic parameters: 18 years — 55 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Center list to be confirmed — check the primary protocol.
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Overview
Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is one of the most common causes of anterior knee pain in young and active individuals. PFPS is characterized by anterior knee pain. The treatment of choice is conservative management. However, there is still lack of widely accepted physiotherapeutic strategies aimed at alleviating patellofemoral pain. The outcomes of conservative treatment remain unsatisfactory. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of two physiotherapy protocols based on manual therapy and muscle training in the treatment of patellofemoral pain
Interventions
- Other medial patellar mobilization
Patellar mobilization was carried out three times for 60 seconds each session \[19\]. The technique was performed by placing the therapist's thumbs on the lateral edge of the patella allowing a patellar glide in the medial and slightly caudal direction. The aim of this technique was to stretch the lateral patellar retinaculum - Other quadriceps muscle stretching
In order to perform this technique the patient was positioned prone on a treatment table (Figure 6). The non-stretched limb remained on the ground, flexed at the hip and knee. Moving this limb forward ensured proper aligment of the lumbar spine, while elevating the heel and placing it on the therapist's foot reduced tension in the hamstring group. Proper execution of the technique could be performed when the pelvis was aligned parallel to the surface, keeping the trunk and thigh of the stretched - Other training protocol
The training protocol included the following exercise: glute bridges, half squat, rear lunges, side walk with elastic band
Primary outcome measures
- AKPS score [Time frame: 6 weeks]
- VAS scale [Time frame: 6 weeks]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: anterior knee pain (unilateral or bilateral) lasting at least one month -
Exclusion Criteria: previous knee injuries or surgeries, systemic diseases, patellar dislocation or subluxation, patellar maltracking, ligamentous laxity, patellar tendon pathologies, spinal pain, other abnormalities such as leg length discrepancy >2 cm, patients treated pharmacologically, with physiotherapy, or acupuncture in the knee area within the past 30 days
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Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Single blind
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
Study locations
Center list to be confirmed — check the primary protocol.
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07396948 · KB/134/2025