Course Description:

PFPS is a common overuse injury involving retropatellar/peripatellar pain that is aggravated by typical weight-bearing activities such as squatting, stair-climbing, and kneeling. The condition arises when abnormal joint forces occur on the patella. This faulty interaction in the patellofemoral joint results in articular cartilage deterioration and/or irritation of immediately surrounding structures (i.e., patellar ligament, synovium, retinaculi, fat pad) that causes pain. PFPS can be generally classified as either having: 1) local contributors at the knee, such as delayed vastus medialis obliquus (VMO) activation or a tight iliotibial (IT) band; 2) distal contributors, such as poor rearfoot biomechanics that distorts patellofemoral interaction from below; or 3) proximate contributors, such as weak hip musculature resulting in poor femoral control at the knee. The treatment for this condition involves a multimodal approach that addresses all possible contributors that influence the patellofemoral joint. The sooner the condition is addressed, the better the prognosis as symptoms persisting longer than 1 year tend to have a worse prognosis for recovery.