EFFECT OF VASTUS MEDIALIS OBLIQUES STRENGTHENING VERSUS PATELLAR TAPING IN PATELLOFEMORAL PAIN SYNDROME - A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Y. Shukla¹, P. Mistry¹

¹Government Physiotherapy College and Government Spine Institute, Physiotherapy, Ahmedabad, India

Background: Prevalence of Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) in general population was reported as 22.7% and adolescents as 28.9%. Patellofemoral pain syndrome often used interchangeably with 'anterior knee pain' or 'runner’s knee' affecting younger generation more. Clinical presentations are either stiffness or pain or both on prolonged sitting with the knees flexed and pain with activities that load the patellofemoral joint, such as climbing or descending stairs, squatting, running and kneeling. Options of conservative treatment are suggested like quadriceps strengthening, stretching, electrotherapy, Orthosis, patellar taping etc.

Purpose: Comparative study of two treatment Protocols of Vastus medialis obliques muscle strengthening and patellar Taping on pain and function in Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome.

Methods: Subjects were screened as per the inclusion and exclusion criteria. After taking Informed written consent, 30 subjects diagnosed with unilateral or bilateral PFPS were randomly allocated into two groups - Group A with Vastus medialis obliques (VMO) muscle strengthening and conventional physiotherapy treatment and Group B with Patellar Taping and conventional physiotherapy treatment. It was single blinded study. Both groups received five treatment sessions per week for 6 weeks (Total 30 sitting). Pre and Post Treatment pain and function were assessed by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Kujala Patellofemoral Scale (KPS) respectively.

Results: Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test and Mann Whitney ‘U’ Test were used for statistical analysis. There was statistical significant improvement in pain and function withinboth study groups at the end of 6 weeks (p<0.05). There was no statistical significant improvementin painand functionalbetween both study Groups at the end of 6 weeks.

Conclusions: Both study groups showed equal improvement in pain and function after six weeks of treatment in Patellofemoral pain syndrome.

Implications: This study gave guideline that Physiotherapist can choose any one treatment protocol between VMO strengthening OR Patellar Taping for reliving pain and improving functions.

Funding acknowledgements: Not applicable

Keywords:
Patellofemoral pain syndrome
Vastus Medialis obliques strengthening
Patellar taping

Topics:
Musculoskeletal: lower limb
Pain & pain management
Orthopaedics

Did this work require ethics approval? Yes

Institution: Government (CL & SC) Spine Institute

Committee: Institutional Ethics Committee

Ethics number: 11/13 IECGSI/APPROVAL/30/01/2013