Adding neuromuscular training to a strengthening program did not produce additional improvement in clinical or kinematic outcomes in women with patellofemoral pain: A blinded randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is a knee pain condition with multifactorial aetiology, twice common in women. The recommended conservative treatment is based on strengthening of the core, hip, and knee musculatures. Addition of neuromuscular training to a strengthening protocol might provide further benefits on pain, function, and kinematics in PFP individuals. However, evidence for the effectiveness of this protocol is lacking. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether adding neuromuscular training to strengthening program could provide any additional improvements of pain, function, and kinematics in PFP women. METHODS: 71 PFP women were randomly into two groups and submitted to different interventions for 12 weeks. The strengthening group (SG) performed strengthening exercises for the trunk, hip, and knee muscles, while the neuromuscular training group (NMTG) performed the same exercises as SG, plus neuromuscular training from the 4th week onwards. The primary outcomes were pain intensity, function, and 2-D kinematics of the trunk and lower limb. The secondary outcomes were isometric muscle strength and patient satisfaction level. All outcomes were evaluated at 12 weeks, immediately post-treatment. RESULTS: At 12 weeks, there was no evidence of between-group differences for any outcome, but both interventions provided clinically significant improvements for pain intensity (SG: mean difference -3.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] -5.0, -2.9; NMTG: mean difference -3.1, 95% CI -4.1, -2.0) and function (SG: mean difference 15.3, 95% CI 11.5, 19.2; NMTG: mean difference 16.9, 95% CI 13.2, 20.7). CONCLUSION: Neuromuscular training did not produce any additional benefits for pain, function, or kinematics at 12 weeks of treatment.

Análise dos instrumentos utilizados para avaliar a dor, função e cinemática do tronco e membro inferior em pacientes com dor femoropatelar: uma revisão da literatura / Analysis of the instruments used to evaluate the pain, function and kinematics of the trunk and lower limb in patients with Parellofemoral Pain: A Literature Review

A avaliação fisioterapêutica é fundamental para o diagnóstico cinético funcional da Dor Femoropatelar (DFP), bem como para mensuração da dor, limitações funcionais e déficits musculoesqueléticos destes pacientes. A avaliação também permite avaliar prognóstico, assim como evolução do tratamento fisioterapêutico conservador. Entretanto, devido à falta de padronização e validação dos instrumentos de medida, torna-se dificultosa a escolha da ferramenta mais apropriada para avaliar o processo de reabilitação dos pacientes com DFP. O objetivo deste estudo foi identificar os instrumentos mais adequados para a avaliação da dor, função e cinemática do tronco e membro inferior em pacientes com DFP. Para tal, foi realizado uma consulta à base de dados PubMed, utilizando as palavras-chave: "patellofemoral pain syndrome", "physical therapy" "physiotherapy", "evaluation", "measurement", "kinematics", "functional test", "functional activity". Sendo considerado, artigos em idioma inglês publicados entre 2000 a 2019. Os critérios de inclusão foram: 1) estudos que abordassem instrumentos de avaliação, sendo eles, escalas de dor, questionários que mensuram limitação funcional, e testes funcionais usados para analisar a cinemática do tronco e membro inferior; 2) estudos que analisassem as propriedades clinimétricas destes instrumentos; 3) população com DFP. Foram encontrados 1.399 artigos, sendo que após a retiradas de duplicatas, leitura de títulos e resumos, foram incluídos 13 estudos nesta revisão. Tais estudos foram classificados de acordo com Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine. De acordo com a análise crítica dos artigos, pode-se afirmar que a Escala Visual Analógica e a Escala Numérica são ferramentas adequadas para mensurar a intensidade da dor nestes pacientes. O Anterior Knee Pain Scale, Activities of Daily Living Scale, Pain Severity Scale e Osteoarthritis Outcome Score Patellofemoral Subscale são eficazes para avaliar dor e função em pacientes com DFP, sendo os dois primeiros, os mais indicados. A escolha dos testes funcionais deverá ser realizada de acordo com o nível de capacidade física do paciente, sendo o Step Down Test indicado para a população sedentária, o Single Leg Squat e Single Leg Landing para população ativa, e o Single Leg Triple Hop Test para pacientes atletas.(AU)

: Physical therapy evaluation is fundamental for the functional diagnosis of Patellofemoral Pain (PFP), as well as for measuring pain, functional limitations and musculoskeletal deficits of these patients. The evaluation also allows the evaluation of prognosis, as well as evolution of conservative physiotherapeutic treatment. However, due to the lack of standardization and validation of measurement instruments, it is difficult to choose the most appropriate instrument to evaluate the rehabilitation process of patients with PFP. The aim of this study was to identify the most appropriate instruments for the evaluation of pain, function and kinematics of the trunk and lower limb in patients with PFP. For this purpose, a search was performed to the PubMed database, using the keywords: "patellofemoral pain syndrome", "physical therapy" "physiotherapy", "evaluation", "measurement", "kinematics", "functional test", "functional activity". Being considered, articles in English published between 2000 and 2019. The inclusion criteria were: 1) studies addressing assessment instruments, such as pain scales, questionnaires that measure functional limitation, and functional tests used to analyze the kinematics of the trunk and lower limb; 2) studies analyzing the clinimetric properties of these instruments; 3) population with PFP. A total of 1,399 articles were found, and after the removal of duplicates, reading of titles and abstracts, 13 studies were included in this review. Such studies were classified according to Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine. According to the critical analysis of the articles, it can be affirmed that the Visual Analog Scale and the Numerical Scale are adequate tools to measure pain intensity in these patients. The Previous Knee Pain Scale, Activities of Daily Living Scale, Pain Severity Scale and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score Patellofemoral Subscale are effective for assessing pain and function in patients with PFP, the first two being the most indicated. The choice of functional tests should be performed according to the level of physical capacity of the patient, being the Step Down Test indicated for the sedentary population, Single Leg Squat and Single Leg Landing to active population, and Single Leg Triple Hop Test to athletes patients.(AU)

Effects of neuromuscular training and strengthening of trunk and lower limbs muscles in women with Patellofemoral Pain: A protocol of randomized controlled clinical trial, blinded.

BACKGROUND: Patellofemoral pain (PFP) often affects young women, and the etiology is multifactorial and poorly understood. Conservative intervention has been focused on risk factors or aggravating factors and is composed of hip- and knee-strengthening exercises, as this population often has muscle weakness and poor motor control during daily and sports activities. The objective of this study was to evaluate the additional effects of neuromuscular training in a conservative treatment of trunk-, hip-, and knee-muscle strengthening on pain, function, and kinematics of the trunk, pelvis, and lower limb in women with PFP. METHODS: This is a randomised clinical trial, controlled, blinded. Ninety women who are active and engage in physical activity up to twice a week will be recruited. All participants will undergo an individual physiotherapy assessment and then will be allocated randomly into two groups. Thereafter, both groups will undergo a 12-week intervention protocol: group 1 will perform strengthening exercises for the trunk, hip, and knee muscles, while group 2 will receive the same treatment, with the inclusion of neuromuscular training exercises on the fourth week. At the end of the intervention, the volunteers will be evaluated. The primary outcomes will be pain intensity (using a Visual Analog Scale: over the last month, squat 90°, and step of 26 cm during 1 min), functional capacity (Anterior Knee Pain Scale and Activities of Daily Living Scale), and 2D kinematics of the trunk, pelvis, and lower limb during the single-leg squat. The secondary outcomes correspond to the isometric muscular strength of the lower limb and the level of satisfaction from the intervention. DISCUSSION: The present study was initiated on 28 January 2018 and is currently in progress, scheduled for completion in July 2019. The results of this study should contribute to the physiotherapeutic treatment of women with PFP by aggregating information on the benefits of adding neuromuscular training to strengthening of the trunk and lower-limb muscles. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registro Brasileiro de Ensaios Clínicos, ID: RBR-8c7267 . Registered on 2 August 2017.