The Effectiveness of Two Physiotherapy Protocols in the Treatment of Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome

February 2, 2026 updated by: Medical University of Gdansk
Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is one of the most common causes of anterior knee pain in young and active individuals. PFPS is characterized by anterior knee pain. The treatment of choice is conservative management. However, there is still lack of widely accepted physiotherapeutic strategies aimed at alleviating patellofemoral pain. The outcomes of conservative treatment remain unsatisfactory. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of two physiotherapy protocols based on manual therapy and muscle training in the treatment of patellofemoral pain

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

46

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Contact

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

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria: anterior knee pain (unilateral or bilateral) lasting at least one month -

Exclusion Criteria: previous knee injuries or surgeries, systemic diseases, patellar dislocation or subluxation, patellar maltracking, ligamentous laxity, patellar tendon pathologies, spinal pain, other abnormalities such as leg length discrepancy >2 cm, patients treated pharmacologically, with physiotherapy, or acupuncture in the knee area within the past 30 days

-

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

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Placebo Comparator: training protocol
Training protocol with three exercises
Other: training protocol

The training protocol included the following exercise:

glute bridges, half squat, rear lunges, side walk with elastic band
Active Comparator: medial patellar mobilization
Other: medial patellar mobilization
Patellar mobilization was carried out three times for 60 seconds each session [19]. The technique was performed by placing the therapist's thumbs on the lateral edge of the patella allowing a patellar glide in the medial and slightly caudal direction. The aim of this technique was to stretch the lateral patellar retinaculum
Active Comparator: quadriceps muscle stretching
Other: quadriceps muscle stretching
In order to perform this technique the patient was positioned prone on a treatment table (Figure 6). The non-stretched limb remained on the ground, flexed at the hip and knee. Moving this limb forward ensured proper aligment of the lumbar spine, while elevating the heel and placing it on the therapist's foot reduced tension in the hamstring group. Proper execution of the technique could be performed when the pelvis was aligned parallel to the surface, keeping the trunk and thigh of the stretched limb in one line. The therapist grasped by ipsilateral hand the distal third of the patient's lower leg and pulled the heel toward the buttock while by the contralateral hand stabilized the pelvis. The static position of stretching was maintained for 30 seconds in every repetition.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
AKPS score
Time Frame: 6 weeks
6 weeks
VAS scale
Time Frame: 6 weeks
6 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Medical University of Gdansk

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 (Estimated)

January 22, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

March 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

March 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 2, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 2, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

February 9, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 9, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 2, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • KB/134/2025

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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