• Aiswarya Raju, Kavitha Jayaraman, Shibili Nuhmani, Salbin Sebastian, Masood Khan, and Ahmad H Alghadir.
• Department of Physiotherapy, AWH Special College, Affiliated to Kerala University of Health Sciences, Kozhikode, Kerala, India.
• Medicine (Baltimore). 2024 Feb 16; 103 (7): e37102e37102.

BackgroundStrengthening the hip muscles, particularly the abductors and rotators, has been reported beneficial for treating Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS). Proprioceptive training (PT) is also shown to improve musculoskeletal pain and function in PFPS. The most appropriate treatment from these 2 is unclear. This study aimed to compare the effects of hip abductors and external rotator strengthening exercises along with conventional physical therapy (CPT) vs the proprioceptive training of the knee along with CPT in patients with PFPS.MethodsForty-five participants were divided into 3 groups, experimental group 1 (EG 1), experimental group 2 (EG 2), and control group (CG), with fifteen participants in each group. EG 1 received hip abductor and external rotator strengthening exercises in addition to CPT. EG 2 received proprioceptive training and CPT. CG received CPT alone. Intervention programs lasted for 4 weeks. The pain was measured by Kujala Anterior Knee Pain Scale (AKPS). The study was registered retrospectively in the protocol registration and results system (clinicaltrials.gov, ID: NCT05698797 on 26/01/2023).ResultsAKPS scores significantly (P < .001) improved in all 3 groups. A significant (P < .05) difference was also observed between all 3 groups. The greatest improvement was observed in EG 1, followed by EG 2 and CG.ConclusionThe addition of hip abductor and external rotator strengthening exercises to a 4-week CPT program showed a more significant improvement in AKPS scores than the addition of proprioceptive training in patients with PFPS.Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

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