• Theresa Kölle, Wilfried Alt, and Daniel Wagner.
• Institut für Rehabilitationsmedizinische Forschung, Universität Ulm, Am Kurpark 1, 88422, Bad Buchau, Germany. theresa.koelle@ifr-ulm.de.
• Arch Orthop Trauma Surg. 2020 Dec 1; 140 (12): 1985-1992.

IntroductionThe aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of a 12-week home exercise therapy program on pain, function and neuromuscular activity of the vastus medialis and vastus lateralis.Materials And MethodsFifty patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome were treated with a 12-week online home exercise program. The primary outcomes of pain and function were assessed at the 12-week follow-up using the Visual Analog Scale and Kujala Score, respectively. Secondary outcomes were the muscle onset time and the ratio of vastus medialis and vastus lateralis during different daily activities.ResultsAfter 12 weeks, patients showed significant (p < 0.05) improvements of 27 points on the Visual Analog Scale and 10 points on Kujala Score. Differences in pre-post comparison regarding both temporal and amplitude-related neurophysiological differences between the vastus medialis and lateralis were only found when the subjects were divided into groups of different electromyographic patterns. Then changes in the pre-post comparison were particularly evident in the patient group with a delayed vastus medialis onset and a lower activity of the vastus medialis compared to the VL.ConclusionPain and function improved significantly after a home exercise therapy program in patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome. In addition, patients with a delayed onset or reduced activity of the vastus medialis compared to the vastus lateralis experienced a reduction in this imbalance.

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