Patellofemoral pain syndrome assessed by Lysholm score, radiological and biorheometric measurements

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of In this study was to verify the relationship among clinical indicators of patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) and the results of modifying radiological investigation. Previous research suggests that there is a poor association between them. Therefore we have employed a technique for the functional evaluation of PFPS based on measuring the stiffness of the knee joint during passive flexion (biorheometry).

Method: The correlation between clinical examination and a standardized Lysholm score, radiological and biorheometric measures was investigated in the 28 knee joints of 14 subjects exhibiting clinical features of PFPS. A modified axial radiological projection of the patellofemoral articulation in 90° of flexion provided the parameters quantifying the anatomical - morphological arrangement of the patellofemoral joint. The biorheometric properties of the knee were evaluated using a custom made measuring apparatus during passive flexion and extension of the knee.

Results: Our results confirm that the link between the clinical findings and the X-ray imaging examinations was not evident. On the contrary, the biorheometric examination proved to correlate well with the clinical symptoms of PFPS. Parameters were identified which can characterize the biorheograms of people suffering PFPS.

Conclusions: Analysis of the relationship among the clinical, radiological and biorheometric examinations leads to the recommendation that biorheometric examination is an effective method for the objective assessment of PFPS.

Keywords: Biorheometry; Joint flexibility; Lysholm knee score; Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS); Patellofemoral articulation; Radiography.