Kunene SH1,2, Ramklass S2, Taukobong NP3
1University of the Witwatersrand, Physiotherapy, Johannesburg, South Africa, 2University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa, 3Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Pretoria, South Africa
Background: Anterior knee pain (AKP) is the most common injury among runners and has a negative impact on the quality of life (QOL) of many athletes.
Purpose: To determine the impact of AKP on the QOL among runners in under-resourced communities.
Methods: This study was cross-sectional and it included 73 runners with AKP (screened by a physiotherapist) aged 13 to 55 with no history of knee surgery, traumatic and degenerative knee conditions. The SF-36 questionnaire was used to collect data. Ethical clearance, permission from club managers and consent from participants were obtained. The SPSS was used to obtain descriptive (frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations and ranges) and inferential (comparison of means using the ANOVA test) statistics.
Results: The lowest SF-36 mean scores were found in two health domains: role limitation due to emotional problems (59) and vitality (59). Highest scores were found in the general physical functioning domain (72). Females presented with lowest SF-36 scores (48) on role limitation due to emotional problems with noticeable difference (p=.03). Youth presented with lowest scores (62) on the social functioning domain (p=.00). Significant differences were noted on SF-36 scores between running experienced groups on the following domains: physical functioning (p=.03), role limitation due to physical problems (p=.01), vitality (p=.00), general mental health (p=.00) and social functioning (p=.00). The most affected was the group with 3-5 years of running experience which presented with scores ranging between 46 and 65. Significant mean differences were also noted between BMI groups in the social functioning domain (p=.01) where overweight and obese groups were mostly affected by AKP.
Conclusion(s): This study highlighted a negative impact AKP has on the QOL of runners in under resourced communities. Multidimensional community-based rehabilitation programmes is therefore recommended to prevent, treat & rehabilitate AKP among these runners.
Implications: The results from this study make explicit the negative impact of AKP on the QOL among runners from under-resourced communities. These are important considerations in the development of rehabilitation programmes to manage AKP in these communities.
Keywords: Anterior knee pain, Quality of life, Under-resourced communities
Funding acknowledgements: University of the Witwatersrand & University of KwaZulu-Natal
Purpose: To determine the impact of AKP on the QOL among runners in under-resourced communities.
Methods: This study was cross-sectional and it included 73 runners with AKP (screened by a physiotherapist) aged 13 to 55 with no history of knee surgery, traumatic and degenerative knee conditions. The SF-36 questionnaire was used to collect data. Ethical clearance, permission from club managers and consent from participants were obtained. The SPSS was used to obtain descriptive (frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations and ranges) and inferential (comparison of means using the ANOVA test) statistics.
Results: The lowest SF-36 mean scores were found in two health domains: role limitation due to emotional problems (59) and vitality (59). Highest scores were found in the general physical functioning domain (72). Females presented with lowest SF-36 scores (48) on role limitation due to emotional problems with noticeable difference (p=.03). Youth presented with lowest scores (62) on the social functioning domain (p=.00). Significant differences were noted on SF-36 scores between running experienced groups on the following domains: physical functioning (p=.03), role limitation due to physical problems (p=.01), vitality (p=.00), general mental health (p=.00) and social functioning (p=.00). The most affected was the group with 3-5 years of running experience which presented with scores ranging between 46 and 65. Significant mean differences were also noted between BMI groups in the social functioning domain (p=.01) where overweight and obese groups were mostly affected by AKP.
Conclusion(s): This study highlighted a negative impact AKP has on the QOL of runners in under resourced communities. Multidimensional community-based rehabilitation programmes is therefore recommended to prevent, treat & rehabilitate AKP among these runners.
Implications: The results from this study make explicit the negative impact of AKP on the QOL among runners from under-resourced communities. These are important considerations in the development of rehabilitation programmes to manage AKP in these communities.
Keywords: Anterior knee pain, Quality of life, Under-resourced communities
Funding acknowledgements: University of the Witwatersrand & University of KwaZulu-Natal
Topic: Sport & sports injuries; Musculoskeletal: lower limb; Orthopaedics
Ethics approval required: Yes
Institution: University of KwaZulu-Natal
Ethics committee: Biomedical Ethics Research Committee
Ethics number: BFC377/15
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
