Journal of Pain & Relief
Open Access

Abstract

Gait retraining is a newly researched method for management of patellofemoral pain (PFP). Patellofemoral pain, more commonly known as anterior knee pain, is a common running ailment that typically affects more women than men. Although it affects many individuals, the cause is relatively unclear. Researchers agree that the cause is likely multifactorial with several perturbations leading to the development of PFP. Of those, it appears that patellofemoral joint stress (PFS) has a strong association with PFP. Therefore, a reduction in PFS is thought to lead to reduced PFP. Several interventions have been investigated with their ability to reduce PFP. Most of this research focused on hip kinetics and kinematics, showing some success in reducing PFP. However, a recent study indicated that perturbations at the hip may be a compensatory mechanism that individuals develop to manage the pain and symptoms. New research on foot strike patterns have shown that rear-foot strike running is associated with greater PFS compared to forefoot strike running. Subsequently, it was demonstrated that a significant reduction in PFP occurs as a result of switching foot strike patterns in runners affected by PFP. Specifically, changing from rear-foot strike running to fore-foot strike running has led to reductions in PFS, patellofemoral contact force, knee abduction and PFP, suggesting that it is an effective intervention for management of PFP. It is worth noting that the change in foot strike pattern increased Achilles tendon force, which potentially increases the risk of injury at the ankle.

Biography

Email: Jenevieve.Roper@csusb.edu