Anterior knee pain: the need for objective measurement

Anterior knee pain is a very common condition, particularly amongst young people. Those patients who have demonstrable pathological or biomechanical abnormalities can often be helped surgically. However, there are many others who have severe patellar pain despite normal, or near normal, clinical and arthroscopic examination. There have been a plethora of conservative treatments the mainstays of which are rest and exercise. However, the rationale behind these conservative methods has been largely empirical, and progress subjective. Treatment may be more effectively applied if further evidence is established about the relationship between the foot and ankle biomechanics and the patellofemoral joint. Kinematic and kinetic gait analyses have recently been reported as being of major importance in the objective measurement of lower limb function and its effects on the patellofemoral joint.