Article

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the evidence regarding the effectiveness of conservative
treatment in reducing patellofemoral pain. DATA SOURCES: CENTRAL, MEDLINE, CINAHL, and PEDro databases. STUDY SELECTION: Adults with patellofemoral pain,
randomized controlled trials only, any conservative treatment compared with
placebo, sham, other conservative treatment, or no treatment. Two independent
reviewers. DATA EXTRACTION: Data were extracted from the full-text of the
articles, based on Cochrane Collaboration recommendations. The outcome of
interest was the difference between groups regarding change in pain severity.
DATA SYNTHESIS: The majority of studies were underpowered. More than 80% of the
37 trials did not show a clinically significant benefit. Clinically significant
effects of different sizes were found for 7 trials (6 studies out of 7 had short
follow-ups). These effects were found for: (i) pulsed electromagnetic fields
combined with home exercise -33.0 (95% CI -45.2 to -20.8); (ii) hip muscle
strengthening -65.0 (95% CI -87.7 to -48.3) and -32.0 (-37.0 to -27.0); (iii)
weight-bearing exercise -40.0 (95% CI -49.4 to -30.6); (iv) neuromuscular
facilitation combined with aerobic exercise and stretching -60.1 (95% CI -66.9 to
-54.5); (v) postural stabilization -24.4 (95% CI -33.5 to -15.3); and (vi)
patellar bracing -31.6 (95% CI -35.2 to -28.0). CONCLUSION: There is no evidence
that a single treat-ment modality works for all patients with patellofemoral
pain. There is limited evidence that some treatment modalities may be beneficial
for some subgroups of patients with patellofemoral pain.

Langue : ANGLAIS