Psychological Factors Are Associated With Lower Limb Kinematics During Uphill Walking and Running in Women With Patellofemoral Pain.
Isabela Regina Dos Reis, Ana Caroline Brites de Magistris Martins, Beatriz Paiva Soares and 2 others
PMID 41944085WHAT IT FOUND
Women with patellofemoral pain who scored higher on fear-of-movement and pain-catastrophizing scales showed less knee flexion during uphill walking and running.
The association was stronger during running. No other joint angles correlated with these scores.
Key findings
01Higher kinesiophobia and pain catastrophizing scores were associated with reduced knee flexion during both uphill walking and treadmill running.
02The correlations were stronger during running than during uphill walking, suggesting the psychological effect on movement becomes more pronounced as task demand increases.
03No significant correlations were found between the psychological scores and hip flexion, pelvic tilt, knee valgus, or ankle dorsiflexion in either task.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Cross-sectional design: the study cannot show that fear of movement causes the reduced knee flexion, or that reducing fear will restore normal angles. The direction of the relationship is unknown. Only 22 participants, all young women (mean age 24, range 18–45). The findings may not apply to men, older women, or adolescents. No control group. The correlations are within one group of women with PFP, so it is not possible to tell whether these psychological scores are elevated compared to women without PFP. Single-day assessment in one lab. No follow-up to see whether the pattern persists, changes, or responds to treatment.
Declared interests
No funding source is reported. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that treating kinesiophobia will restore normal knee flexion. The study is cross-sectional with 22 participants and shows only a correlation. The very high correlation with pain catastrophizing during running (r = −0.972) may be inflated by the small sample. No intervention was tested, and no causal direction can be established.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →