Anterior knee pain caused by overactivity: a long term prospective followup.

In a prospective study to determine the natural history of anterior knee pain caused by overactivity, 60 (15%) of 390 elite Israeli infantry recruits were found to have anterior pain in 77 knees during 14 weeks of basic training. At 6 years' followup, 3 years after returning to civilian life, half of the knees originally with anterior knee pain were still symptomatic, but in only 8% of the originally symptomatic knees was the pain severe, hindering physical activity. The long term prognosis of anterior knee pain caused by overactivity is much better than that reported previously for anterior knee pain in adolescents, but in a small percentage of cases the pain persists at a level that may prevent participation in exertional activities.