Physical therapy for patellofemoral pain: A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial

Abstract

Background: Although physical therapy forms the mainstay of nonoperative management for patellofemoral pain, its efficacy has not been established. Hypothesis: Significantly more pain relief will be achieved from a 6-week regimen of physical therapy than from placebo treatment. Study Design: Multicenter, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial. Methods: Seventy-one subjects, 40 years of age or younger with patellofemoral pain of 1 month or longer, were randomly allocated to a physical therapy or placebo group. A standardized treatment program consisted of six treatment sessions, once weekly. Physical therapy included quadriceps muscle retraining, patellofemoral joint mobilizatio..