To investigate whether there was a difference in hamstring length between patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome and healthy asymptomatic controls aged 18 to 35 years.
Design
A cross-sectional observational study measuring hamstring length in patients and asymptomatic controls.
Setting
Hospital physiotherapy department.
Participants
Two groups were tested; one group diagnosed with patellofemoral pain syndrome (mean age 27 years, n=11, six males, five females) and one group of asymptomatic controls (mean age 25 years, n=25, 13 males, 12 females).
Main outcome measures
Hamstring length was evaluated using the passive knee extension method to measure popliteal angle.
Results
The mean (standard deviation) values for hamstring length were 145.6 (8.7)° for patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome and 153.7 (10.1)° for the asymptomatic controls. The mean (95% confidence interval) difference between the groups was 8.0 (0.8 to 15.1)°, and analysis with a t-test revealed that this was statistically significant (P<0.05).
Conclusions
This study found that patients with patellofemoral pain had shorter hamstring muscles than asymptomatic controls. It is not clear whether this is a cause or effect of the condition. Further research is suggested to study how hamstring length changes with rehabilitation, and the relationship with pain.
aDepartment of Rehabilitation, James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, UK
bCentre for Rehabilitation Sciences, School of Health and Social Care, University of Teesside, Middlesbrough, UK
Corresponding author. Centre for Rehabilitation Sciences, Parkside West Offices, School of Health and Social Care, University of Teesside, Middlesbrough, TS1 3BA, UK. Tel.: +44 1642 384125; fax: +44 1642 342983.
ABSTRACT