Core Stabilization for the Treatment of Anterior Knee Pain

Youngstown State University

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome

Treatments: Other: lower extremity training only; Other: core stabilization

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02123602

#093-2014

Details and patient eligibility

About

The investigators hypothesize that the use of trunk (core) stabilization exercises early in treatment combined with lower extremity exercises will enhance the outcome over lower extremity exercises alone in the treatment of young athletes with anterior knee pain.

Enrollment: 50 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 13 to 20 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Subjects between 13-20 years of age clinically diagnosed with anterior knee pain.

• Pain should be peripatellar and should include at least 3 of the following:

  1. experienced during or after activity
  2. prolonged sitting
  3. with stair climbing or descending
  4. squatting
  5. kneeling.

• The subject should be active for at least 30 minutes per day.

Exclusion criteria

• Previous knee surgery
• Signs and symptoms of a specific structural diagnosis not consistent with AKP such as meniscal, ACL, PCL, or collateral ligament tears, pain referral from hip or lumbar spine (determined during examination), traumatic patellar dislocation, an inability to adequately understand or communicate in English.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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50 participants in 2 patient groups

Core stabilization

Experimental group

Description:

This arm will receive 3 weeks of core stabilization training followed by 3 weeks of lower extremity stretching and strengthening as appropriate to address impairments noted in the examination and to progress function.

Treatment:

Other: core stabilization

Lower extremity training only

Active Comparator group

Description:

This arm with receive 6 weeks of impairment based stretching and strengthening to restore function.

Treatment:

Other: lower extremity training only