Date of Award

2023

Degree Type

Selective Evidence-Based Medicine Review

Degree Name

Master of Science in Health Sciences - Physician Assistant

Department

Physician Assistant Studies

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine “Are Hip Exercises Effective at Reducing Patellofemoral Pain?”

Study Design: A systematic review of three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in English after 2011.

Data Sources: All three studies were selected from peer reviewed journals on PubMed based on their relevance to the clinical question and having patient oriented outcomes.

Outcome Measured: The outcome measured was reduction in patellofemoral pain and this was measured through the Anterior Knee Pain Scale (AKPS). Scores range from 0-100 with lower scores indicating greater pain and disability. The mean change from baseline was calculated after the intervention.

Results: In the RCT led by Sahin et al., the hip and knee group had a mean change from baseline of 11.6. The knee-only group had a mean change from baseline of 5.6. The p-value was 0.002 indicating statistical significance. In the RCT led by Hott et al., the hip-only group had a mean change from baseline of 8.6. The knee-only group had a mean change from baseline of 7.2. The p-value was 0.9 indicating non-significant results. In the RCT led by Fukuda et al., the hip-andknee group had a mean change from baseline of 19.8. The knee-only group had a mean change from baseline of 2.8. The p-value was < 0.05 indicating statistical significance.

Conclusions: Two of the three studies showed that the addition of hip exercises reduces patellofemoral pain more than knee exercises alone, and one study showed that there was no difference in pain relief between the two exercise groups. This leads to an inconclusive answer. Further studies should be done to evaluate the effectiveness of the addition of hip exercises over a longer period of time, as well as the effectiveness of only hip exercises for patellofemoral pain.

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