Telerehabilitation for Patellofemoral Pain
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: Telerehabilitation, Face-to-Face Rehabilitation.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Patellofemoral Pain, PFP. Basic parameters: 18 years — 45 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 →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Official title
Telerehabilitation Versus Face-to-Face Supervised Rehabilitation for Patellofemoral Pain: A Randomized Non-Inferiority Trial
Overview
Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is a common musculoskeletal condition characterized by pain around or behind the patella during activities such as stair ambulation, squatting, running, jumping, and prolonged sitting. Exercise therapy combined with patient education is considered first-line treatment, and supervised rehabilitation is commonly used to improve adherence and clinical outcomes. Telerehabilitation may increase accessibility and reduce time and travel burden, but high-quality evidence remains limited regarding whether telerehabilitation provides outcomes that are not inferior to conventional face-to-face supervised rehabilitation in individuals with PFP. This study is a randomized, assessor-blinded, non-inferiority trial designed to compare telerehabilitation with face-to-face supervised rehabilitation in individuals with patellofemoral pain. The trial will evaluate whether telerehabilitation is not inferior to face-to-face supervised rehabilitation in improving pain and knee-related function, while also examining psychological outcomes, self-satisfaction, and adherence.
Interventions
- Behavioral Telerehabilitation
A 6-week remotely supervised rehabilitation program including education, progressive exercise therapy, and regular therapist-guided follow-up delivered through digital communication platforms. - Behavioral Face-to-Face Rehabilitation
A 6-week in-person supervised rehabilitation program including education, progressive exercise therapy, and regular therapist-guided follow-up.
Primary outcome measures
- Anterior Knee Pain Scale [Time frame: Baseline; 6 weeks; 18 weeks]
Secondary outcome measures (6)
- Numerical Rating Pain Scale [Time frame: Baseline; 6 weeks; 18 weeks]
- The Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score [Time frame: Baseline; 6 weeks; 18 weeks]
- Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia [Time frame: Baseline; 6 weeks; 18 weeks]
- Pain Catastrophizing Scale [Time frame: Baseline; 6 weeks; 18 weeks]
- EQ-5D-5L [Time frame: Baseline; 6 weeks; 18 weeks]
- Muscle strength [Time frame: Baseline; 6 weeks]
Eligibility criteria
- Inclusion Criteria
- Aged 18 to 45 years
- Clinical diagnosis of patellofemoral pain
- History of anterior or retropatellar knee pain for at least 3 months
- Pain provoked by at least two of the following activities: stair ambulation, squatting, running, jumping, or prolonged sitting
- Baseline knee pain intensity of at least 3/10 on the Numerical Rating Pain Scale
- Willing and able to participate in the rehabilitation program and follow-up assessments
- Able to provide written informed consent
- Exclusion Criteria
- Previous knee surgery
- History of patellar dislocation or instability
- Evidence of ligament injury, meniscal injury requiring separate management, moderate to severe knee osteoarthritis, or other major structural knee pathology
- Concurrent hip, ankle, lumbar spine, or other musculoskeletal disorders substantially affecting lower limb function
- Neurological disorders affecting movement or balance
- Severe cardiopulmonary or systemic disease contraindicating exercise
- Received structured lower limb rehabilitation within the previous 3 months
- Pregnancy
- Any other condition judged by the investigators to make participation unsuitable
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: NCT07557784 · 092H