What is Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome

Patellofemoral pain syndrome refers to a medical condition where there is pain around the knee joint and kneecap (patella) due to misalignment of the knee with the thigh bone (femur). This causes tightness, tenderness, pain, and inflammation around the knee joint.

How Does This Happen?

Patellofemoral pain syndrome is often caused by overuse and overtraining with high intensity lower body movements such as running and jumping. The individuals most vulnerable to get patellar pain are those who have a high Q angle (the angle measurement between the quadriceps and the kneecap) which is often caused by tight calves, quadriceps, and hamstrings. This is because these muscle groups can put a lot of stress and pressure on the thigh bone and pull it out of alignment with the knee.

Signs of Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome

• Knee pain, especially after repetitive movements and getting up after long periods of sitting
• Inflammation, tightness, and tenderness around the knee joint
• Tight calves, quadriceps, and hamstrings

How Do You Fix This?

To address this condition, it is important to loosen up tight calves, quadriceps, and hamstrings while strengthening the surrounding muscle groups. Also, allowing your body to rest by reducing the amount of repetitive bending movements will speed up recovery. We would recommend the following exercises:

• Release - Peroneals & Biceps femoris 60-120 sec
• Activate - laying prone knee flexion & hip extension w/ medial band distraction 2 x 20
• Integrate - Side lying hip extension with adduction using band 2 x 20
• Strengthen - Side plank hip press w/ contralateral hip flexion 2 x 20