Efficacy Analysis in Long Term of Radiofrecuency Combined vs. T.E. in the Treatment of Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome.
Condition: Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome
MeSH terms: Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome; Syndrome; Somatoform Disorders
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The present study aims to promote research in the field of Physiotherapy, focusing on a
      health problem of maximum relevance, such as patellofemoral pain syndrome.

      Although these treatments seem to be based on theoretical reasoning, the evidence for the
      efficacy of these interventions is not well established. Therefore, we select from among all
      the therapeutic tools available in physiotherapy, a procedure of therapeutic physical
      exercise.

      Main objectives:

      To know the efficacy of a therapeutic physical exercise protocol in the reduction of pain and
      the improvement of functional disability in patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome
      (PFPS).

      Secondary objectives:

        -  Quantify the reduction of pain in the anterior aspect of the knee in patients with
           patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS), after treatment with monopolar capacitive diathermy
           by radiofrequency.

        -  To evaluate the improvement of functional disability in patients with patellofemoral
           pain syndrome (PFPS), after treatment with monopolar capacitive diathermy by
           radiofrequency.

      Study hypothesis:

      The treatment of patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) with a therapeutic physical exercise
      protocol produces statistically significant changes in the reduction of pain and functional
      disability and the normalization of the anthropometric values of the joint balance of the
      knee
    

Detailed description: 
      At first, a meeting will be held with the patients under study where they will be informed
      and any doubts that may arise in relation to the investigation will be resolved. In addition,
      the correct adaptation of these to the inclusion and exclusion criteria of our study will be
      verified. Subsequently, they will be given individually the informed consent prepared
      expressly for the present study, the doubts arising with respect to this one will be resolved
      and their signature will proceed. At this time, and individually again, we will proceed to
      the development of the Clinical History of Physiotherapy where only the information necessary
      for our study will be collected.

      To emphasize in this point that the participants will grant their consent for the treatment
      of the data obtained for scientific purposes, according to the legal norms.

      Next, the patients will be randomly assigned to two groups: control group and experimental
      group. The randomization of the sample was done through the EPIDAR software in version 3.1
      between the Experimental Group and the Control Group Subsequently, the evaluations and
      measurements of the study variables will be carried out by the research team.

      CONTROL GROUP: You will be provided exclusively therapeutic exercises protocol to develop
      supervised by Physical Therapist that you must perform following a daily activity for three
      weeks. They will be evaluated at the end of that period and six moths later in order to have
      at least three timepoints to evaluate.

      EXPERIMENTAL GROUP: After the initial evaluation, the first 10 treatment sessions will be
      developed at the rate of five daily sessions in the first week, three sessions on alternate
      days in the second week and two sessions on alternate days in the third week (3 weeks in
      total), applying the monopolar capacitive diathermy with radiofrequency in the anterior
      aspect of the knee, in dynamic application in one of the members: affect or randomized (uni
      or bilateral pathology, respectively). This diathermy will be combined with a therapeutic
      exercise program supervised by a Physiotherapist.

      The treatment is administered with a Diathermy equipment and inductive electrodes of 100 W
      peak power, with a frequency of application of twice daily with a dose submitis (grade I),
      for 10 min, with a frequency of repetition of the impulses of 46 Hz and a pulse duration of
      0.2 ms

      After the tenth treatment session all the measurements will be repeated following the same
      environmental conditions as at the beginning and by the evaluators themselves to the
      components of both groups.Those measurements will be evaluated at the end of that three weeks
      period and six moths later in order to have at least three timepoints to evaluate.
    

Intervention name(s): Radiofrecuency; Therapeutic Exercise
Intervention type(s): Other; Other
Intervention description(s): EXPERIMENTAL GROUP: After the initial evaluation, the first 10 treatment sessions will be developed at the rate of five daily sessions in the first week, three sessions on alternate days in the second week and two sessions on alternate days in the third week (3 weeks in total), applying the monopolar capacitive diathermy with radiofrequency in the anterior aspect of the knee, in dynamic application in one of the members: affect or randomized (uni or bilateral pathology, respectively). This diathermy will be combined with a therapeutic exercise program supervised by a Physiotherapist.; CONTROL GROUP: will be provided exclusively therapeutic exercises protocol to develop in the home setting that you must perform following a daily activity for three weeks. They will be evaluated at the end of that period and six moths later in order to have at least three timepoints to evaluate.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: Patients diagnosed with unilateral or bilateral PFPS will be divided into two groups, randomly selected (experimental group and control group), of 45 subjects each.
Allocation was concealed and it was done by central randomisation by computer (EPIDARcomputer program).
The subjects of the experimental group will undergo a program of supervised physical therapeutic exercise. And the subjects of the control group will follow the medical-pharmacological treatment and the ergonomic recommendations according to the established protocol.
The target population will be all patients diagnosed with patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) unilaterally or bilaterally, from the health area of La Rinconada while the eligible population will be composed of all those patients residing in or around Seville who can and wish to be part of it. of the study and that they meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Musculoskeletal; Physical Medicine / Rehabilitation; Physiotherapy; Knee Pain