Poor Mental Health Indicators in Individuals With Patellofemoral Pain

Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is a common source of knee pain in active individuals, accounting for a large number of knee injuries examined in sports medicine clinics. As a chronic condition, PFP can affect mental health. However, this effect has not yet been studied in individuals with PFP.

To determine how subjective physical and mental health measures in individuals with PFP differed from those measures in pain-free individuals.

Case-control study.

Laboratory.

Volunteers for the study were 30 people with PFP (19 women, 11 men; age = 20.23 ± 3.32 years, height = 166.69 ± 6.41 cm, mass = 69.55 ± 13.15 kg) and 30 matched pain-free individuals (19 women, 11 men; age = 20.33 ± 3.37 years, height = 169.31 ± 9.30 cm, mass = 64.02 ± 11.00 kg).

Current and worst pain levels in the past 24 hours were determined using a visual analog scale (VAS). The Anterior Knee Pain Scale, Fear Avoidance Belief Questionnaire, and Lower Extremity Functional Scale were administered. Physical and mental health measures were obtained using a modified 12-item Short Form Health Survey. Scores for 2 subscales on the modified Short Form-12 were weighted and calculated: physical component and mental component.Independent t tests were calculated to compare variables between groups. Coefficient correlations were used to measure the associations between the variables.

Individuals with PFP reported lower levels of physical (pain free: 56.13 ± 1.63, PFP: 50.54 ± 7.10, P < .001) and mental (pain-free: 53.32 ± 4.71, PFP: 48.64 ± 10.53, P = .03) health. In the PFP group, we found moderate negative correlations between the VAS score for current pain and mental health (r = -0.52, P < .01) and between the VAS score for worst pain in the past 24 hours and mental health (r = -0.46, P = .01) and between activity limitations in individuals with PFP and fear avoidance beliefs (r = -0.61, P < .01).

Our results should encourage clinicians, especially musculoskeletal rehabilitation professionals, to acknowledge the importance of a whole-person approach when treating or planning rehabilitation programs for individuals with PFP.