Short-term effects of hip and knee muscles strengthening in improving pain and functional status in sedentary females with Patellofemoral pain syndrome: A Randomized Clinical pilot study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71000/1xspxr41Keywords:
Hip; Knee; Muscle strengthening; Pain; Patellofemoral pain syndrome; Rehabilitation.Abstract
Objective: To compare the short-term effects of knee-muscle strengthening alone with combined knee- and hip-muscle strengthening on pain intensity and lower-extremity functional status in sedentary females with patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS).
Methods: This single-blind randomized clinical pilot study included 40 females with PFPS, allocated equally to two groups by lottery-based simple randomization. Group A received knee-muscle strengthening with lower-limb stretching, while Group B received the same knee protocol with additional hip abductor and lateral-rotator strengthening. The intervention was delivered over two weeks (two sessions per week). Pain was measured using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), and lower-extremity function was assessed using the Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS). Repeated-measures analysis of variance was used for within-group comparisons, and independent-samples t tests compared change scores between groups.
Results: Pain decreased significantly over time in both groups (p<0.001). Mean NPRS reduction was 2.70±0.57 points in Group A and 3.60±0.50 points in Group B; the between-group difference in improvement was 0.90 points (95% CI 0.56 to 1.24; p<0.001). LEFS scores also improved significantly over time in both groups (p<0.001). The reported mean functional improvement was 8.55±1.19 points in Group A and 11.30±1.22 points in Group B, corresponding to a 2.75-point greater improvement in Group B (95% CI 1.98 to 3.52; p<0.001).
Conclusion: Over two weeks, both exercise approaches improved pain and lower-extremity function in sedentary females with PFPS. The combined knee- and hip-strengthening programme produced greater short-term improvement than knee strengthening alone. These findings support further evaluation in adequately powered trials with longer follow-up.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Javairia Naqvi, Dr. Iqra Tahir, Mariam Ashraf, Sidra Munawar, Laiba Shahzad, Minahil Atif, Kinza Ashfaq, Arslan Saeed, Kaiynat Shafique, Hifza Tahir (Author)
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