Exploring the Relationship Between Range of Motion in Knee Rehabilitation Exercises and Pain in Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome

December 16, 2025 updated by: Ted Gunhamn
This study aims to investigate the relationship between knee joint range of motion and pain in patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS). In a cross-sectional observational design, PFPS patients will perform trials involving progressively increased knee joint range of motion in three closed-chain exercises: squat, single-leg squat, and split squat. During each trial, participants will report pain levels on a 0-10 Visual Analog Scale (VAS) until either (1) achieving full depth in the respective exercise or (2) reaching a pain level of >5 on the VAS.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

15

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

N/A

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

This project will include patients diagnosed with PFP (ICD-10: M22.2).

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients diagnosed with PFP in only one knee by a licensed healthcare professional.
  • Aged 15-35 years.
  • A physical activity level of 3/10 or higher on the Tegner Activity Scale before the injury.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Any prior injury or condition with residual symptoms that may affect the results.
  • Current injury or condition affecting the performance of the test.
  • Resting pain greater than 0-1/10 on the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NRS) and pain greater than 1-2/10 during light daily activities such as walking, sitting, standing, or climbing stairs.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome
Patients diagnosed with patellofemoral pain syndrome by health care provider.
Other: Exercise
Exercise with progressively increased range of motion.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pain (VAS)
Time Frame: Day 1 (Cross sectional single session. Outcomes will be collected during one single session for each participant.)
Pain measured 0-10 visual analog scale (VAS) reported during each trial of progressively increased range of motion during a single session.
Day 1 (Cross sectional single session. Outcomes will be collected during one single session for each participant.)
Range of motion
Time Frame: Day 1 (Cross sectional single session. Outcomes will be collected during one single session for each participant.)
Degrees of knee flexion measured during each trial in one single session.
Day 1 (Cross sectional single session. Outcomes will be collected during one single session for each participant.)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Force
Time Frame: Day 1 (Cross sectional single session. Outcomes will be collected during one single session for each participant.)
Force (N) (peak value) reported during the different trials in one session. Measured by force plates.
Day 1 (Cross sectional single session. Outcomes will be collected during one single session for each participant.)
Tegner Activity Scale (TAS)
Time Frame: Baseline (Administered at the beginning of the study)
The Tegner Activity Scale (TAS) will be used to assess the physical activity levels of the participants. Scale from 1-10 where 10 is highest possible physical activity and 1 is sedentary.
Baseline (Administered at the beginning of the study)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Ted Gunhamn

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

December 1, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 3, 2025

Study Completion (Estimated)

April 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 4, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 16, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

December 17, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

December 17, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 16, 2025

Last Verified

December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2024-01422-01

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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