Patellofemoral pain syndrome alters joint position sense: a case-control study

Introduction: The evaluation of changes in joint position sense (JPS) of the knee may be crucial for the identification of disorders that could start during the development of patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS). Objective: To evaluate JPS of the knee in PFPS. Methods: Twenty nine women (15 healthy and 14 with PFPS) reproduced knee flexion angles of 45° and 60° during open kinetic chain exercises and of 45° during closed kinetic chain exercises. Results: The absolute error in the active reproduction of 45° in open kinetic chain exercises was significantly higher in the experimental group. There were significant differences in absolute and relative errors between the groups for active reproduction at 45° in open and closed kinetic chain exercises. Conclusions: This study suggests that PFPS alters JPS during active reproduction of the 45° angle in both open and closed kinetic chain exercises.