Do Individuals with History of Patellofemoral Pain Walk and Squat Similarly to Healthy Controls? A 3D Kinematic Analysis During Pain Remission Phase.
Diego Martins, Marcelo Peduzzi de Castro, Caroline Ruschel and 3 others
PMID 35136687WHAT IT FOUND
People with a history of patellofemoral pain in remission walked with less ankle, knee, and hip bending than controls.
During single-leg squat, their joint angles were similar, and trunk movement was not clearly different.
Key findings
01During walking, participants with a history of patellofemoral pain in remission showed less ankle dorsiflexion, knee flexion, and hip flexion than controls.
02During single-leg squat, ankle, knee, and hip joint positions did not differ between groups.
03Knee function scores were lower in the pain history group (78±10) than controls (93±5), despite similar physical activity.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Only 13 participants were in each group, so the findings may not be stable. The study used a convenience sample and a cross-sectional design, so it cannot show that the movement differences caused patellofemoral pain or recurrence. Participants had to have pain below 3 on the visual analogue scale and no perceived functional limitation, so it does not describe people with active or limiting patellofemoral pain. The single-leg squat and walking trials were not randomised, and walking was assessed after squatting, so the walking differences might have been influenced by the earlier squat task. The study did not test whether correcting the observed movement patterns changes symptoms or recurrence.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that correcting reduced ankle, knee, and hip flexion during walking will prevent patellofemoral pain recurrence. The study only compared movement patterns in 13 people with a history of patellofemoral pain and 13 controls, and it did not test an intervention or follow people over time.