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. 2021 Mar-Apr;25(2):156-161.
doi: 10.1016/j.bjpt.2020.05.002. Epub 2020 May 22.

Impaired performance of women with patellofemoral pain during functional tests

Camile Ludovico Zamboti  1 , Carlos Augusto Marçal Camillo  2 , Amanda Paula Ricardo Rodrigues da Cunha  1 , Thaiuana Maia Ferreira  1 , Christiane Souza Guerino Macedo  3
Affiliations

Impaired performance of women with patellofemoral pain during functional tests

Camile Ludovico Zamboti et al. Braz J Phys Ther. 2021 Mar-Apr.

Abstract

Objective: To compare the performance, reliability, and validity of functional tests between women with and without patellofemoral pain.

Methods: Twenty women with a diagnosis of patellofemoral pain between 18 and 40 years of age and 20 age-matched pain-free controls participated in the study. All participants performed a set of five function tests: sitting-rising test, sit-to-stand in 30 seconds, stair-climb test, stair descent test, and six-minute step test. To investigate reliability, participants were assessed on two different days, seven days apart, by two independent investigators blinded to the results of the other investigator. Validity was evaluated through associations with the results on the Anterior Knee Pain Scale.

Results: Performance in the tests was worse in women with patellofemoral pain than in the control group for the sit-to-stand in 30 seconds (mean difference [MD] 3.4reps; 95%CI: 0.4, 6.4), stair-climb test (MD: 0.36s; 95%CI: 0.1, 0.63), and six-minute step test (MD: 45reps; 95%CI: 20, 70). No differences were observed for the sitting-rising and stair descent tests. All tests in both groups showed moderate to excellent intra- and inter-rater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients: 0.61 to 0.91 and 0.72 to 0.96, respectively). Finally, only the results on the sit-to-stand in 30 seconds test correlated with the Anterior Knee Pain Scale (r=0.44, p=0.047) in the patellofemoral pain group.

Conclusion: Women with patellofemoral pain present lower performance on some functional tests. Functional tests are reliable in patients with patellofemoral pain, although they are not associated with the results on the Anterior Knee Pain Scale self-questionnaire.

Keywords: Anterior knee pain; Exercise test; Knee; Physical therapy; Reproducibility of results.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Correlation of performance on STS30 with AKPS. STS30: sit-to-stand in 30 s; AKPS, anterior knee pain scale.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Pain perception at the end of the functional tests. PFP, patellofemoral pain; SRT, sitting–rising test; STS30: sit-to-stand in 30 s; SCT: stair-climb test; SDT: stair descent test; and 6MST: six-minute step test. * Statistically significant difference; p < 0.05; analysed by the Mann–Whitney test.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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