Meta‐analyses showed no significant changes in strength for any of the interventions . •
BACKGROUND : The addition of hip strengthening to knee strengthening for persons with patellofemoral pain has the potential to optimize treatment effects .
OBJECTIVE : To examine the efficacy of hip strengthening , associated or not with knee strengthening , to increase strength , reduce pain , and improve activity in individuals with patellofemoral pain .
Hip posterolateral musculature strengthening in sedentary women with patellofemoral pain syndrome: a randomized controlled clinical trial with 1-year follow-up.
STUDY DESIGN R and omized controlled trial . OBJECTIVES To determine if adding hip-strengthening exercises to a conventional knee exercise program produces better long-term outcomes than conventional knee exercises alone in women with patellofemoral pain syndrome ( PFPS ) . BACKGROUND Recent studies have shown that a hip-strengthening program reduces pain and improves function in individuals with PFPS . However , there are no clinical trials evaluating long-term outcomes of this type of program compared to conventional knee-strengthening and -stretching exercises . METHODS Fifty-four sedentary women between 20 and 40 years of age , with a diagnosis of unilateral PFPS , were r and omly assigned knee exercise ( KE ) or knee and hip exercise ( KHE ) .  The women in the KE group ( n = 26 ; mean age , 23 years ) performed a 4-week conventional knee-stretching and -strengthening program . The women in the KHE group ( n = 28 ; mean age , 22 years ) performed the same exercises as those in the KE group , as well as strengthening exercises for the hip abductors , lateral rotators , and extensors . An 11-point numeric pain rating scale , the Lower Extremity Functional Scale , the Anterior Knee Pain Scale , and a single-hop test were used as outcome measures at baseline ( pretreatment ) and 3 , 6 , and 12 months posttreatment . RESULTS At baseline , demographic , pain , and functional assessment data were similar between groups . Those in the KHE group had a higher level of function and less pain at 3 , 6 , and 12 months compared to baseline ( P<.05 ) . In contrast , the KE group had reduced pain only at the 3- and 6-month follow-ups ( P<.05 ) , without any changes in Lower Extremity Functional Scale , Anterior Knee Pain Scale , or hop testing ( P>.05 ) through the course of the study . Compared to the KE group , the KHE group had less pain and better function at 3 , 6 , and 12 months posttreatment ( P<.05 ) . For the Lower Extremity Functional Scale , the between-group difference in change scores from baseline at 3 , 6 , and 12 months posttreatment favored the KHE group by 22.0 , 22.0 , and 20.8 points , respectively . CONCLUSION Knee-stretching and -strengthening exercises supplemented by hip posterolateral musculature-strengthening exercises were more effective than knee exercises alone in improving long-term function and reducing pain in sedentary women with PFPS
Meta‐analyses showed no significant changes in strength for any of the interventions . •
BACKGROUND : The addition of hip strengthening to knee strengthening for persons with patellofemoral pain has the potential to optimize treatment effects .
OBJECTIVE : To examine the efficacy of hip strengthening , associated or not with knee strengthening , to increase strength , reduce pain , and improve activity in individuals with patellofemoral pain .