Dosage-dependence of Graded Exercise Therapy in Patients With Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome.

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome
• Interventions: Behavioral: High exercise therapy; Behavioral: Low exercise therapy

• Registration Number: NCT01290705
• Lead Sponsor: Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Brief Summary

With this study two different therapeutic exercise regimens will be compared in patients with anterior knee pain (patellofemoral pain syndrome, PFPS).

Detailed Description

Exercise therapy is widely used in the conservative treatment of patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS), but there is still no consensus on recommending any specific rehabilitation program.

This study evaluates two different therapeutic exercise regimens in patients with PFPS and their effect on pain at rest and function.

Supervised exercise therapy will be applied in both groups three times a week over a 3-month period with individually tailored and graded exercise programs, differing between groups in terms of number of exercises, number of repetitions and sets, and time spent on performing aerobic exercises.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2007-11
• Primary Completion: 2010-12
• Study Completion: 2010-12
• Study First Submitted: 2011-02-04
• Study First Submitted QC: 2011-02-04
• Study First Posted: 2011-02-07
• Status Verified: 2016-02
• Last Update Submitted: 2016-02-17
• Last Update Posted: 2016-02-18

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 40

Inclusion Criteria

Presence of at least 3 symptoms of the following:

Pain when

• Walking stairs
• Squatting
• Running
• Cycling
• Sitting with knees flexed for a prolonged period of time
• Grinding of the patella
• Other positive physical tests (Clarke's test, patellar crepitus, tenderness upon palpation of the posterior surface of the patella, patellar facets or surrounding structures)

Exclusion Criteria

• Knee osteoarthrosis/ arthritis
• previous knee injury or knee operations
• patellar tendinopathy
• Osgood- Schlatter's disease
• Other defined pathological conditions of the knee

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
high exercise	High exercise therapy	High dose, high repetition exercise therapy, 3 times weekly in 12 weeks
low exercise	Low exercise therapy	low dose, low repetition exercise therapy, 3 times weekly in 12 weeks

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Pain measured by a Visual analogue scale (VAS).	Pre-test, post-test (after completed intervention at 3 months) and one year follow-up.	This scale was illustrated with a 100 mm horizontal line with descriptors "no pain" at the 0 mm mark and "worst pain imaginable" anchoring the 100 mm. Participants were required to place a vertical mark on the horizontal line, representing their average level of pain experienced during the last 24 hours. This was done at rest and provided an illustration of the perceived pain severity, rated in millimetres.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Function measured by a Step-down test and by a modified Functional Index Questionnaire (FIQ).	Pre-test, post-test (at 3 months after completed intervention) and at one year follow-up.