The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

The measurement of patellar alignment in patellofemoral pain syndrome: are we confusing assumptions with evidence?

The measurement of patellar alignment in patellofemoral pain syndrome: are we confusing assumptions with evidence?
The measurement of patellar alignment in patellofemoral pain syndrome: are we confusing assumptions with evidence?
Patellofemoral pain syndrome is one of the most common orthopaedic complaints presenting to physical therapists. Although its etiology is uncertain, the cause is most often considered to be malalignment or lateral tracking of the patella. Consequently, measurement of patellar alignment has come to be accepted as an integral part of the examination of patellofemoral pain syndrome. Various measurement techniques exist, both clinical and radiological, and these have been frequently used in the diagnosis and treatment of the condition. As a corollary, the widespread use of such measurements has also lent weight to the theory that patellar malalignment is one of the primary causes of patellofemorai pain syndrome. However, an analysis of the literature reveals that the vast majority of these measurement procedures lack the appropriate scientific qualities to be considered acceptable measurement tools, including questionable reliability and validity, and an absence of appropriate normative data and a gold standard. This paper assesses the evidence for the usefulness of the most commonly used measures of patellar alignment and concludes that many of the beliefs of the clinical community with regard to the existence and measurement of patellar malalignment in patellofemoral pain syndrome may be based largely on assumptions and not on evidence.
0190-6011
330-341
Wilson, Tony
94abff43-22e6-4db3-a10e-9191ef860595
Wilson, Tony
94abff43-22e6-4db3-a10e-9191ef860595

Wilson, Tony (2007) The measurement of patellar alignment in patellofemoral pain syndrome: are we confusing assumptions with evidence? Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 37 (6), 330-341.

Record type: Article

Abstract

Patellofemoral pain syndrome is one of the most common orthopaedic complaints presenting to physical therapists. Although its etiology is uncertain, the cause is most often considered to be malalignment or lateral tracking of the patella. Consequently, measurement of patellar alignment has come to be accepted as an integral part of the examination of patellofemoral pain syndrome. Various measurement techniques exist, both clinical and radiological, and these have been frequently used in the diagnosis and treatment of the condition. As a corollary, the widespread use of such measurements has also lent weight to the theory that patellar malalignment is one of the primary causes of patellofemorai pain syndrome. However, an analysis of the literature reveals that the vast majority of these measurement procedures lack the appropriate scientific qualities to be considered acceptable measurement tools, including questionable reliability and validity, and an absence of appropriate normative data and a gold standard. This paper assesses the evidence for the usefulness of the most commonly used measures of patellar alignment and concludes that many of the beliefs of the clinical community with regard to the existence and measurement of patellar malalignment in patellofemoral pain syndrome may be based largely on assumptions and not on evidence.

This record has no associated files available for download.

More information

Published date: June 2007
Organisations: Health Sciences

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 67007
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/67007
ISSN: 0190-6011
PURE UUID: 20e14cef-b127-46cf-8fdb-96d581bfdcac

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 04 Aug 2009
Last modified: 08 Jan 2022 11:27

Export record

Contributors

Author: Tony Wilson

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×