Dosage-dependence of Graded Exercise Therapy in Patients With Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome.

• Pain measured by a Visual analogue scale (VAS). [ Time Frame: Pre-test, post-test (after completed intervention at 3 months) and one year follow-up. ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  This scale was illustrated with a 100 mm horizontal line with descriptors "no pain" at the 0 mm mark and "worst pain imaginable" anchoring the 100 mm. Participants were required to place a vertical mark on the horizontal line, representing their average level of pain experienced during the last 24 hours. This was done at rest and provided an illustration of the perceived pain severity, rated in millimetres.
  
  

• Function measured by a Step-down test and by a modified Functional Index Questionnaire (FIQ). [ Time Frame: Pre-test, post-test (at 3 months after completed intervention) and at one year follow-up. ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

Background: Exercise therapy is widely used in the conservative treatment of patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS), but there is still no consensus on recommending any specific rehabilitation program.

Purpose: This study evaluated two different therapeutic exercise regimens in patients with PFPS.

Design: This was a multicenter randomized controlled clinical trial. Subjects: 40 patients were included in the analyses; n=21 in the experimental group and n=19 in the control group.

Interventions: Supervised exercise therapy was applied in both groups three times a week over a 3-month period with individually tailored and graded exercise programs, differing between groups in terms of number of exercises, number of repetitions and sets, and time spent on performing aerobic exercises. The variables were graded high in the experimental and low (in accordance with traditional procedures) in the control group.

Main outcome measures: Primary outcomes were pain (average last 24 hours) at rest measured by a visual analogue scale (VAS), and function measured both by a Step-down test and with a Functional Index Questionnaire (FIQ).

Main statistical analysis: Main comparative analyses were accomplished using a general linear model. Differences between groups at final were adjusted for baseline values of the primary outcomes.