Original articlePosterolateral Hip Muscle Strengthening Versus Quadriceps Strengthening for Patellofemoral Pain: A Comparative Control Trial
Section snippets
Methods
Screening for specific inclusion and exclusion criteria was performed by 2 physicians. Only subjects with a diagnosis of unilateral or bilateral PFP were included. The diagnosis of PFP was based on symptom location (peripatellar and/or retropatellar) and reproduction of pain with activities commonly associated with this condition (eg, stair decent, squatting, kneeling, prolonged sitting). Patients were screened by physical examination to rule out ligamentous laxity, meniscal injury, pes
Results
At baseline, demographic characteristics, VAS scores, and WOMAC scores were comparable between groups (see table 1). Patients in both groups were moderately to severely impaired with respect to pain intensity and health status. All subjects completed the postintervention and 6-month follow-up assessments. On average, patients assigned to the posterolateral hip exercise group attended 22.4 supervised exercise sessions, whereas subjects assigned to the quadriceps exercise group attended 22.1
Discussion
Historically, the etiology of PFP has been attributed to impairments in quadriceps muscle performance.4, 5, 6, 7 As such, strengthening the quadriceps muscles has been widely advocated as the treatment of choice for PFP.8 Over the last decade, there has been an emergence of research suggesting that PFP may have proximal origins. In particular, excessive hip adduction and internal rotation has been reported to contribute to abnormal patellofemoral joint loading.17, 18 Furthermore, recent
Conclusions
An 8-week program of posterolateral hip muscle strengthening was more effective in improving pain and health status in persons with PFP than a quadriceps strengthening program. The observed improvements were maintained at 6-month follow-up. Our results support the use of hip strengthening as a viable rehabilitation approach for persons with PFP.
Suppliers
- a.
Hygenic Corp, 1245 Home Ave, Akron, OH 44310.
- b.
IBM Corp, 1 New Orchard Rd, Armonk, NY 10504.
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