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Physiotherapy for anterior knee pain: a randomised controlled trial
D I Clark1, N Downing, J Mitchell
1Department of Orthopaedics, City Hospital Nottingham, UK. davidclark@compuserve.com
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
|September 8, 2000
Summary
Physiotherapy exercise components, including proprioceptive muscle stretching and strengthening, effectively treat anterior knee pain, leading to patient discharge. These benefits persist for one year, while taping shows no significant impact on outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics
- Sports Medicine
- Physical Therapy
Background:
- Anterior knee pain is a common condition affecting young adults.
- Physiotherapy is a standard treatment, but the efficacy of its individual components is not well-defined.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the effectiveness of individual physiotherapy components for anterior knee pain.
- To compare the outcomes of exercise, taping, and education interventions.
Main Methods:
- A prospective, randomized controlled trial with a factorial design.
- 81 young adults with anterior knee pain were assigned to four groups: exercise/taping/education, exercise/education, taping/education, or education alone.
- Outcome measures included patient satisfaction, pain scores, function (WOMAC), anxiety/depression (HAD), and quadriceps strength at 3 and 12 months.
Main Results:
- All groups improved in pain, function, and psychological scores, with no significant differences between groups at 3 or 12 months.
- Exercise significantly increased the likelihood of patient discharge at 3 months (p<0.001).
- Taping did not significantly influence discharge rates or other outcomes.
Conclusions:
- The exercise components of physiotherapy, specifically proprioceptive muscle stretching and strengthening, provide benefits for anterior knee pain at 3 months, facilitating discharge.
- These exercise-induced benefits are sustained at 1-year follow-up.
- Taping does not appear to influence the outcome of physiotherapy for anterior knee pain.