Trial reportArchives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery2016
Evaluating the potential synergistic benefit of a realignment brace on patients receiving exercise therapy for patellofemoral pain syndrome: a randomized clinical trial.
Trial report in Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 41 citations in OpenAlex.
- Dutch multidisciplinary guideline on anterior knee pain: Patellofemoral pain and patellar tendinopathy.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2025Guideline
- Trial
- Efficacy of Patellar Taping and Electromyographic Biofeedback Training at Various Knee Angles on Quadriceps Strength and Functional Performance in Young Adult Male Athletes with Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Pain research & management · 2022Trial
- Complications after knee derotational osteotomies in patients with anterior knee pain and/or patellofemoral instability: a systematic review with meta-analysis.EFORT open reviews · 2025Article
- Treatment of anterior knee pain due to chondromalacia patellae with platelet-rich plasma and hyaluronic acid in young and middle-aged adults, a cohort study.Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery · 2024Article
- Functions and Effectiveness of Unloader, Patellofemoral, and Knee Sleeve Orthoses: A Review.Regenerative engineering and translational medicine · 2024Article
- Impact of a Semi-Rigid Knee Orthotic Intervention on Pain, Physical Activity, and Functional Capacity in Patients with Medial Knee Osteoarthritis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- The Synergistic Effects of Hyaluronic Acid and Platelet-Rich Plasma for Patellar Chondropathy.Biomedicines · 2023Review
- Chondromalacia patellae: current options and emerging cell therapies.Stem cell research & therapy · 2021Review
- Comparative effectiveness of treatments for patellofemoral pain: a living systematic review with network meta-analysis.British journal of sports medicine · 2020Review
- Taping, Bracing, and Injection Treatment for Patellofemoral Pain and Patellar Tendinopathy.Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine · 2020Review
- Patellofemoral pain in athletes: clinical perspectives.Open access journal of sports medicine · 2017Review
- Patellofemoral pain in athletes.Open access journal of sports medicine · 2017Review
- CURRENT CONCEPTS IN BIOMECHANICAL INTERVENTIONS FOR PATELLOFEMORAL PAIN.International journal of sports physical therapy · 2016Article
- Effects of a novel foot-ankle orthosis in the non-operative treatment of unicompartmental knee osteoarthritis.Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery · 2016Observational
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIt has been previously shown that exercise programs for patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) can be supported by medially directed taping. Evidence supporting the use of patellar braces is limited because previous studies have been low quality. The aim of this study is to compare the outcomes of patients with PFPS after treatment with a medially directed patellar realignment brace and supervised exercise.
methodsIn a prospective randomized multicenter trial, 156 patients with PFPS were included and randomly assigned to 6 weeks of supervised physiotherapy in combination with the patellar realignment brace, or supervised physiotherapy alone. Outcome measures were the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) subscales, numeric analog pain scores, and the Kujala score at baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 1 year after the start of therapy. The patient's self-reported perception of recovery was also assessed at these points.
resultsBoth treatment groups showed a significant improvement in all outcome measures over the study period. After 6 and 12 weeks of therapy, patients in the brace group had significantly higher KOOS sub-scale scores, a higher mean Kujala score, and less pain while climbing stairs or playing sports. After 54 weeks a group difference could be only detected for the KOOS ADL sub-scale.
conclusionThe use of a medially directed realignment brace leads to better outcomes in patients with PFPS than exercise alone after 6 and 12 weeks of treatment. After 1 year of follow-up this positive effect diminished.
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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.