Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome: Characteristics and Outcomes of Physical Therapy Episodes of Care

Background: Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is a common musculoskeletal condition. Understanding episode of care variables can lead to improved outcomes. Objectives: To explore outcomes of physical therapy (PT) for the management of patients with PFPS. Design: Retrospective cohort. Methods: Data was extracted from the electronic medical record for patients with PFPS treated at a single, academic PT site between July 1, 2016 and May 30, 2019. Episode of care variables, relationship between variables, and odds of improvement were assessed. Results: Fifty-two patients with PFPS, mean (± SD) age of 25.9 (± 14.1) years were referred to PT. Over the course of a single episode of care, significant improvements were seen in pain (P = 0.03) and knee extension strength (P <0.001) with 20-21 complete data sets respectively. After adjusting for age, there was a 13.8% increase in the odds of making clinically meaningful improvements in pain though these findings did not reach statistical significance (Odds ratio [OR] 1.14, 95% CI 0.93-1.39). Positive relationships were identified between weeks (r = 0.57; P = 0.008) and number of visits (r = 0.57; P = 0.007) with improved knee extension strength. Age was negatively correlated with improvements in knee extension strength (r = -0.46; P = 0.04). Conclusion: Each additional visit for patients with PFPS, up to 9 visits, and a younger age are associated with greater odds of making clinically significant improvements in pain. Greater number of weeks and PT visits and a younger age yield higher improvements in knee extension strength.