OBJECTIVES: 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) degrees for patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome and 153.7 (10.1) degrees for the asymptomatic controls. The mean (95% confidence interval) difference between the groups was 8.0 (0.8 to 15.1) degrees , 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.
OBJECTIVES: 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) degrees for patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome and 153.7 (10.1) degrees for the asymptomatic controls. The mean (95% confidence interval) difference between the groups was 8.0 (0.8 to 15.1) degrees , 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.
Authors: John S Mason; Michael Crowell; Jeffery Dolbeer; Jamie Morris; Aspen Terry; Shane Koppenhaver; Donald Lee Goss Journal: Int J Sports Phys Ther Date: 2016-10
Authors: Seyit Citaker; Defne Kaya; Inci Yuksel; Baran Yosmaoglu; John Nyland; Ozgur Ahmet Atay; Mahmut Nedim Doral Journal: Sports Health Date: 2011-11 Impact factor: 3.843