Home based exercise may improve knee pain and muscle strength in patients with Patellofemoral pain

The key findings of the study are

• A total of 112 participants screened for eligibility, 38 were randomized and analyzed, including 19 participants in the intervention group and 19 participants in the control group.

• There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between the groups. At 6-week follow-up, the intervention group showed a greater worst pain reduction (between-group difference, -19.3 [95%CI, -23.2 to -15.5]; P < 0.01) and pain with daily activity (between-group difference, -22.9 [95%CI, -28.3 to -17.4]; P < 0.01) than the control group.

• Similarly, the intervention group had better improvements in AKPS (between-group difference, 9.0 [95%CI, 4.1 to 13.9]; P < 0.01) and knee extensor strength (between-group difference, 20.1 [95%CI, 14.5 to 25.8]; P < 0.01), compared to the control group. No adverse events were reported.

Home-based exercise and health education resulted in less pain, better function, and higher knee muscle strength compared with no exercise in patients with PFP. A large randomized controlled trial with long-term follow-up is required to confirm these findings, they concluded.

Reference: Hong QM, Wang HN, Liu XH, Zhou WQ, Zhang X, Luo XB. Home-based exercise program and Health education in patients with patellofemoral pain: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2023 Nov 18;24(1):896. doi: 10.1186/s12891-023-07027-z.