Anterior knee pain: a long‐term follow‐up

Objective. To assess the long‐term outcome of anterior knee pain diagnosed in childhood. Method. Forty‐eight patients diagnosed with anterior knee pain in childhood were contacted by postal questionnaire 4–18 yr after initial presentation. Results. The 22 respondents comprised 16 women and six men, with mean age at follow‐up of 22 yr. Twenty of 22 (91%) still had knee pains, eight daily, two weekly and 10 occasionally. In 10 (45%) the pain affected their daily life and in eight (36%) it restricted their physical activities. Twelve (54%) used painkillers. Ten (45%) had developed other diagnoses: four had psoriasis and six arthritis, of whom one had ankylosing spondylitis. Fifteen (68%) had symptoms in other joints at follow‐up. Conclusion. These results suggest that anterior knee pain that occurs in childhood may not be so benign a condition as thought.