Trial reportJournal of athletic training2015
Strengthening of the hip and core versus knee muscles for the treatment of patellofemoral pain: a multicenter randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in Journal of athletic training, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 5 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 68 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Supervised Rehabilitation With Patterned Electrical Neuromuscular Stimulation for Patients With Patellofemoral Pain
The Effect of Volitional Transversus Abdominis Contraction on Time to Peak Sagittal Ground Reaction Force in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis
The Effects of Core Activation and Stabilization Training on Gait Kinetics, Kinematics, and Speed, and Self-Perceived Function in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis
Effect of Hip Abductors Versus Knee Extensor Strengthening on Pain,Function and Quadriceps Isometric Strength in Knee Osteoarthritis
The Effect Of Core Stabilization Exercises In Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome
Who cites it
68 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis of the Association between Changes in Muscle Strength and Clinical Outcome Changes in Patellofemoral Pain.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of lower limb strengthening training on lower limb biomechanical characteristics and knee pain in patients with patellofemoral pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European journal of medical research · 2025Pooled it
- Knee extensor training in patients with patellofemoral pain: a systematic review and synthesis.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2025Pooled it
- Is Postural Control Affected in People with Patellofemoral Pain and Should it be Part of Rehabilitation? A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis.Sports medicine - open · 2022Pooled it
- Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome Risk Associated with Squats: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Patient characteristics modify the effects of education plus exercise on patellofemoral joint loading: a secondary effect-modifier analysis of a randomized controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2026Trial
- Physical therapy vs. glucocorticoid injection in patients with meniscal tears and knee osteoarthritis: a multi-center, randomized, controlled trial.BMC medicine · 2025Trial
- Home-based exercise program and Health education in patients with patellofemoral pain: a randomized controlled trial.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2023Trial
- Exercise-Induced Changes in Femoral Cartilage Thickness in Patients With Patellofemoral Pain.Journal of athletic training · 2023Trial
- Impact of Pilates mat-based exercises on knee kinematics during running.Journal of bodywork and movement therapies · 2023Trial
- Comparing hip and knee focused exercises versus hip and knee focused exercises with the use of blood flow restriction training in adults with patellofemoral pain.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine · 2022Trial
- Talonavicular joint mobilization and foot core strengthening in patellofemoral pain syndrome: a single-blind, three-armed randomized controlled trial.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2022Trial
- Effectiveness of local exercise therapy versus spinal manual therapy in patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome: medium term follow-up results of a randomized controlled trial.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2021Trial
- Impairment-Based Rehabilitation With Patterned Electrical Neuromuscular Stimulation and Lower Extremity Function in Individuals With Patellofemoral Pain: A Preliminary Study.Journal of athletic training · 2019Trial
- Treatment Success of Hip and Core or Knee Strengthening for Patellofemoral Pain: Development of Clinical Prediction Rules.Journal of athletic training · 2018Trial
- The effect of targeted treatment on people with patellofemoral pain: a pragmatic, randomised controlled feasibility study.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2017Trial
- The Foot Orthoses versus Hip eXercises (FOHX) trial for patellofemoral pain: a protocol for a randomized clinical trial to determine if foot mobility is associated with better outcomes from foot orthoses.Journal of foot and ankle research · 2017Trial
- Efficacy of live feedback to improve objectively monitored compliance to prescribed, home-based, exercise therapy-dosage in 15 to 19 year old adolescents with patellofemoral pain- a study protocol of a randomized controlled superiority trial (The XRCISE-AS-INSTRUcted-1 trial).BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2016Trial
- Study protocol: a randomised controlled trial comparing the long term effects of isolated hip strengthening, quadriceps-based training and free physical activity for patellofemoral pain syndrome (anterior knee pain).BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2015Trial
- Trial
8 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
contextPatellofemoral pain (PFP) is the most common injury in running and jumping athletes. Randomized controlled trials suggest that incorporating hip and core strengthening (HIP) with knee-focused rehabilitation (KNEE) improves PFP outcomes. However, no randomized controlled trials have, to our knowledge, directly compared HIP and KNEE programs.
objectiveTo compare PFP pain, function, hip- and knee-muscle strength, and core endurance between KNEE and HIP protocols after 6 weeks of rehabilitation. We hypothesized greater improvements in (1) pain and function, (2) hip strength and core endurance for patients with PFP involved in the HIP protocol, and (3) knee strength for patients involved in the KNEE protocol.
designRandomized controlled clinical trial.
settingFour clinical research laboratories in Calgary, Alberta; Chicago, Illinois; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Augusta, Georgia. PATIENTS OR OTHER
participantsOf 721 patients with PFP screened, 199 (27.6%) met the inclusion criteria (66 men [31.2%], 133 women [66.8%], age = 29.0 ± 7.1 years, height = 170.4 ± 9.4 cm, weight = 67.6 ± 13.5 kg). INTERVENTION(S): Patients with PFP were randomly assigned to a 6-week KNEE or HIP protocol. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Primary variables were self-reported visual analog scale and Anterior Knee Pain Scale measures, which were conducted weekly. Secondary variables were muscle strength and core endurance measured at baseline and at 6 weeks.
resultsCompared with baseline, both the visual analog scale and the Anterior Knee Pain Scale improved for patients with PFP in both the HIP and KNEE protocols (P < .001), but the visual analog scale scores for those in the HIP protocol were reduced 1 week earlier than in the KNEE group. Both groups increased in strength (P < .001), but those in the HIP protocol gained more in hip-abductor (P = .01) and -extensor (P = .01) strength and posterior core endurance (P = .05) compared with the KNEE group.
conclusionsBoth the HIP and KNEE rehabilitation protocols produced improvements in PFP, function, and strength over 6 weeks. Although outcomes were similar, the HIP protocol resulted in earlier resolution of pain and greater overall gains in strength compared with the KNEE protocol.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.