Targeted Functional Movement Retraining to Improve Pain, Function, and Biomechanics in Subjects With Anterior Knee Pain: A Case Series.

Abstract

Anterior knee pain (AKP) is a common condition, especially in a young active population. The clinical presentations of this condition vary considerably, and therefore, an individualized approach to treatment is needed. The primary objective of this study was to assess the effect of a novel targeted biomechanical intervention on subjects with AKP. A case series was conducted on 8 participants with AKP. The study was conducted at the Tygerberg Motion Analysis Laboratory and Tygerberg Physiotherapy Clinic in Cape Town, South Africa. Eight subjects (5 females and 3 males) diagnosed with AKP were included in this case series. Participants received a 6-week subject-specific functional movement retraining intervention. Three-dimensional hip, knee, and ankle kinematics were used for analysis for each participant preintervention and postintervention. Pain was measured weekly using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale. Two functional scales (Lower-Extremity Functional Scale and Anterior Knee Pain Scale) were used to assess pain and function the preintervention and postintervention. All 8 subjects demonstrated improved pain levels (Numeric Pain Rating Scale) and functional outcomes (Anterior Knee Pain Scale and Lower-Extremity Functional Scale). Seven of the 8 participants (87.7%) demonstrated improvements in their main biomechanical outcome. A subject-specific functional movement retraining intervention may be successful in the treatment of subjects with AKP presenting with biomechanical risk factors. Research on a larger sample is required to further investigate this approach.