Patella Femoral Pain Syndrome
Guided Injections.
What is patella femoral pain syndrome?
Patella femoral pain syndrome (PFPS), commonly referred to as “runner’s knee”, is defined by pain behind the patella and/or around the front of the knee. PFPS can affect people of all ages and can vary in cause. One of the most common causes of PFPS is overload due to increased training intensity. PFPS may develop suddenly or gradually, depending on the cause. (Xie et al., 2022)
What are the common symptoms of this?
- Pain over the front of the knee
- Pain that worsens with activities that load the patella-femoral joint, such as squatting, long periods of sitting with the knees bent, running, climbing stairs, jumping, and cycling
- Weakness in the muscles surrounding the knee, particularly the quadriceps (Pereira et al., 2022)
How is this diagnosed?
To assess your condition, your physiotherapist will ask about your symptoms and conduct a physical examination, looking for the following:
- Pain with palpation underneath the patella and with compression of the patella against the femur
- Weakness of the knee
- Pain with deep flexion ranges of motion -i.e. sitting and squatting
- Problems with running or cycling mechanics
- Hypomobility of the patella
Treatment options
Guided Corticosteroid Injections
For persistent pain, corticosteroid injections may be recommended to reduce inflammation and provide short-term relief.
Guided Hyaluronic Acid Injections
Hyaluronic acid (HA) injections guided by ultrasound scans are a state-of-the-art treatment for osteoarthritis, cartilage degradation, and joint pain at MSK Clinic Physio.
Your Clinician
BSc Physiotherapy MSCP (Hons)
PGCert Independent Medical Prescriber
PGCert Soft Tissue and Joint Injection Therapist
PGCert Diagnostic Ultrasound
Xie, P., István, B., & Liang, M. (2022, December). The Relationship between Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome and Hip Biomechanics: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis. In Healthcare (Vol. 11, No. 1, p. 99). MDPI.
Pereira, P. M., Baptista, J. S., Conceicao, F., Duarte, J., Ferraz, J., & Costa, J. T. (2022). Patellofemoral pain syndrome risk associated with squats: A systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(15), 9241.