Clinical trial NCT02123602: Core Stabilization for the Treatment of Anterior Knee Pain
Official title: The Effects of a Trunk Strengthening Program on Anterior Knee Pain in an Adolescent Athletic Population: a Randomized Clinical Trial
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: UNKNOWN
Phase: NA
Conditions: Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome
Keywords: patellofemoral pain syndrome
abdominal muscles
Lead sponsor: Youngstown State University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2014-04-25
Enrollment: 50
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 13
Maximum age (years): 20
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: The investigators hypothesize that the use of trunk (core) stabilization exercises early in treatment combined with lower extremity exercises will enhance the outcome over lower extremity exercises alone in the treatment of young athletes with anterior knee pain.


Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Subjects between 13-20 years of age clinically diagnosed with anterior knee pain.
* Pain should be peripatellar and should include at least 3 of the following:

  1. experienced during or after activity
  2. prolonged sitting
  3. with stair climbing or descending
  4. squatting
  5. kneeling.
* The subject should be active for at least 30 minutes per day.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Previous knee surgery
* Signs and symptoms of a specific structural diagnosis not consistent with AKP such as meniscal, ACL, PCL, or collateral ligament tears, pain referral from hip or lumbar spine (determined during examination), traumatic patellar dislocation, an inability to adequately understand or communicate in English.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Lower extremity functional scale
timeFrame: 6 weeks
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Kujala anterior knee pain scale
timeFrame: 6 weeks
measure: Patient specific functional scale
timeFrame: 6 weeks
measure: Numeric pain rating scale
timeFrame: 6 weeks
Other outcomes:
measure: Global rating of change
timeFrame: 6 weeks
measure: Self-reported percent recovery
timeFrame: 6 weeks
Locations:
city: Poland
country: United States
facility: Poland Medical Center
state: Ohio
Study officials:
affiliation: Youngstown State University
name: Kenneth E Learman, PhD, PT
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Kibler WB, Press J, Sciascia A. The role of core stability in athletic function. Sports Med. 2006;36(3):189-98. doi: 10.2165/00007256-200636030-00001.
citation: van Linschoten R, van Middelkoop M, Berger MY, Heintjes EM, Verhaar JA, Willemsen SP, Koes BW, Bierma-Zeinstra SM. Supervised exercise therapy versus usual care for patellofemoral pain syndrome: an open label randomised controlled trial. BMJ. 2009 Oct 20;339:b4074. doi: 10.1136/bmj.b4074.
citation: Collins NJ, Bisset LM, Crossley KM, Vicenzino B. Efficacy of nonsurgical interventions for anterior knee pain: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials. Sports Med. 2012 Jan 1;42(1):31-49. doi: 10.2165/11594460-000000000-00000.
citation: Earl JE, Hoch AZ. A proximal strengthening program improves pain, function, and biomechanics in women with patellofemoral pain syndrome. Am J Sports Med. 2011 Jan;39(1):154-63. doi: 10.1177/0363546510379967. Epub 2010 Oct 7.
citation: Koumantakis GA, Watson PJ, Oldham JA. Trunk muscle stabilization training plus general exercise versus general exercise only: randomized controlled trial of patients with recurrent low back pain. Phys Ther. 2005 Mar;85(3):209-25.