Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 May 24;19(1):165.
doi: 10.1186/s12891-018-2083-x.

Prevalence of patellofemoral pain and knee pain in the general population of Chinese young adults: a community-based questionnaire survey

Xingquan Xu  1   2 , Chen Yao  1   2 , Rui Wu  1 , Wenjin Yan  1 , Yao Yao  1 , Kai Song  1   2 , Qing Jiang  3   4 , Dongquan Shi  5   6
Affiliations

Prevalence of patellofemoral pain and knee pain in the general population of Chinese young adults: a community-based questionnaire survey

Xingquan Xu et al. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. .

Abstract

Background: Previous studies that have described the prevalence of patellofemoral pain (PFP) have been limited to samples of military personnel or sporting populations, and convincing data in the general Chinese population are lacking. The present study defined the prevalence of PFP and knee pain in the general population of Chinese young adults and evaluated whether gender, age, or body mass index (BMI) were associated with PFP.

Methods: An anonymous online questionnaire survey was open to the general public in China. A self-report questionnaire was used to specifically identify PFP. The population aged 18-40 years was enrolled in the study and completed the questionnaire. The prevalence of PFP and knee pain in the overall sample and in subgroups stratified by sex, age, and BMI was estimated. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine if there was a significant association between PFP and sex, age, or BMI.

Results: A total of 1153 participants were enrolled in the study. The prevalence of PFP in the overall sample and among the male and female participants was 20.7, 20.3, and 21.2%, respectively. The prevalence of the knee pain in the overall sample and among the male and female participants was 35.6, 38.2, and 33.7%, respectively. The prevalence of PFP in the subgroups stratified by age and BMI did not differ significantly between the groups. Gender, age, and BMI did not have significant associations with the prevalence of PFP.

Conclusion: PFP is common in the general Chinese population. Clinicians should direct more attention toward the early diagnosis of and interventions for PFP.

Keywords: Association; Knee pain; Patellofemoral pain; Prevalence; Questionnaire survey.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The Ethics Committee of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital approved the survey. All subjects signed informed consents by marking a checkbox. The study was conducted according to the Helsinki Declaration (Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects).

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests. QJ is a member of the editorial board of BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

References

    1. Wood L, Muller S, Peat G. The epidemiology of patellofemoral disorders in adulthood: a review of routine general practice morbidity recording. Prim Health Care Res Dev. 2011;12(2):157–164. doi: 10.1017/S1463423610000460. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Boling M, Padua D, Marshall S, Guskiewicz K, Pyne S, Beutler A. Gender differences in the incidence and prevalence of patellofemoral pain syndrome. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2010;20(5):725–730. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0838.2009.00996.x. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Robinson RL, Nee RJ. Analysis of hip strength in females seeking physical therapy treatment for unilateral patellofemoral pain syndrome. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2007;37(5):232–238. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2007.2439. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Al-Hakim W, Jaiswal PK, Khan W, Johnstone D. Suppl 2: the non-operative treatment of anterior knee pain. Open Orthop J. 2012;6:320. doi: 10.2174/1874325001206010320. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dye SF. The pathophysiology of patellofemoral pain: a tissue homeostasis perspective. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2005;436:100–110. doi: 10.1097/01.blo.0000172303.74414.7d. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources