Of the functional tests , squatting demonstrated the highest sensitivity .
Other useful tests include pain during stair climbing and prolonged sitting .
Conclusion A diagnostic checklist is useful as it provides a structured method for diagnosing AKP in a clinical setting .
Background  Anterior knee pain ( AKP ) or patellofemoral pain syndrome is common and may limit an individual 's ability to perform common activities of daily living such as stair climbing and prolonged sitting .
The diagnosis is difficult as there are multiple definitions for this disorder and there are no accepted criteria for diagnosis .
It is therefore most commonly a diagnosis that is made once other pathologies have been excluded .
Objectives The aim of this study was to create an evidence -based checklist for research ers and clinicians to use for the diagnosis of AKP .
Intrinsic Risk Factors for the Development of Anterior Knee Pain in an Athletic Population: A Two-Year Prospective Study *
Many variables have retrospectively been associated with the presence of anterior knee pain . Very few prospect i ve data exist , however , to determine which of these variables will lead to the development of anterior knee pain . It was our purpose in this study to determine the intrinsic risk factors for the development of anterior knee pain in an athletic population over a 2-year period . Before the start of training , 282 male and female students enrolled in physical education classes  were evaluated for anthropometric variables , motor performance , general joint laxity , lower leg alignment characteristics , muscle length and strength , static and dynamic patellofemoral characteristics , and psychological parameters . During this 2-year follow-up study , 24 of the 282 students developed  patellofemoral pain . Statistical analyses revealed a significant difference between those subjects who developed patellofemoral pain and those who did not concerning quadriceps and gastrocnemius muscle flexibility , explosive strength , thumb-forearm mobility , reflex response time of the vastus medialis obliquus and vastus lateralis muscles , and the psychological parameter of seeking social support . However , only a shortened quadriceps muscle , an altered vastus medialis obliquus muscle reflex response time , a decreased explosive strength , and a hypermobile patella had a significant correlation with the incidence of patellofemoral pain . We concluded that the latter four parameters play a dominant role in the genesis of anterior knee pain and we therefore deem them to be risk factors for this syndrome
Of the functional tests , squatting demonstrated the highest sensitivity .
Other useful tests include pain during stair climbing and prolonged sitting .
Conclusion A diagnostic checklist is useful as it provides a structured method for diagnosing AKP in a clinical setting .
Background  Anterior knee pain ( AKP ) or patellofemoral pain syndrome is common and may limit an individual 's ability to perform common activities of daily living such as stair climbing and prolonged sitting .
The diagnosis is difficult as there are multiple definitions for this disorder and there are no accepted criteria for diagnosis .
It is therefore most commonly a diagnosis that is made once other pathologies have been excluded .
Objectives The aim of this study was to create an evidence -based checklist for research ers and clinicians to use for the diagnosis of AKP .