Stratification of patellofemoral pain using clinical, biomechanical and imaging features
Background
Patellofemoral pain is described as pain in the region of the kneecap that is not related to any other injury or condition. Recent data suggest that 1 in 6 adults seeking advice from their GP with knee pain will be diagnosed with patellofemoral pain. Experts are concerned that patellofemoral pain may lead to future knee osteoarthritis.
The rate of successful treatment is known to be low in cases of patellofemoral pain. A recent study of 330 people showed that 40% still experienced significant pain one year after treatment. As a result, international experts state that future research is vital to determine sub-groups (groups of people with similar kneecap problems) within the patellofemoral pain population in order to improve treatment results.
What the research hopes to achieve
By grouping people with similar types of kneecap problems, we aim to improve the ways in which people with pain arising from the kneecap joint (patellofemoral joint) are treated. Grouping people will enable targeted treatment to be better effected, rather than relying on a ‘one size fits all’ approach.