Comparisons of trunk and knee mechanics during various speeds of treadmill running between runners with and without patellofemoral pain: a preliminary study.
Kai-Yu Ho, Tiffany Barrett, Zachary Clark and 4 others
PMID 34658516WHAT IT FOUND
Runners with patellofemoral pain showed no difference in trunk posture or knee joint stress compared to pain-free runners at any speed.
Slower running reduced joint stress in both groups, but pain status did not change how the body handled the load.
Key findings
01There was no significant difference in peak patellofemoral joint stress or trunk flexion angle between runners with pain and pain-free controls across slow, self-selected, and fast speeds.
02Running at a slower speed significantly reduced peak patellofemoral joint stress compared to self-selected and fast speeds, regardless of whether the runner had pain.
03The study was a preliminary pilot with a small sample size, limiting the generalizability of the null findings.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Very small sample size (n=12) limits statistical power and generalizability. The analysis was restricted to the sagittal plane, ignoring frontal and transverse plane mechanics which may be more relevant to patellofemoral pain. Running speeds were relatively low (2.1 to 3.1 m/s), which may not reflect the mechanics of faster running. The study used a treadmill, which may not perfectly replicate over-ground running mechanics.
Declared interests
Funded by a University of Nevada, Las Vegas Physical Therapy Student Opportunity Research Grant. Authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that trunk posture is irrelevant to patellofemoral pain. This was a small pilot focusing only on the sagittal plane. The lack of difference between groups may be due to the small sample size or the exclusion of frontal and transverse plane mechanics, which are often implicated in this condition.