Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28431578›Full record

ArticleBMC musculoskeletal disorders2017

Is the effectiveness of patellofemoral bracing modified by patellofemoral alignment and trochlear morphology?

Xi Zhang, Jillian P Eyles, Joanna Makovey, Matthew J Williams, David J Hunter

Open access · goldAbstract readMulticenter Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.3field-weighted citation impact, top 46% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. The effectiveness of knee bracing in non-operative soft tissue and degenerative knee injuries: A systematic review.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Xi ZhangUniversity of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Jillian P EylesDepartment of Rheumatology, Royal North Shore Hospital and Northern Clinical School, University of Sydney, Pacific Highway, St Leonards, NSW, 2065, Australia.
Joanna MakoveyDepartment of Rheumatology, Royal North Shore Hospital and Northern Clinical School, University of Sydney, Pacific Highway, St Leonards, NSW, 2065, Australia.
Matthew J WilliamsKolling Institute of Medical Research, Institute of Bone and Joint Research, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
David J HunterDepartment of Rheumatology, Royal North Shore Hospital and Northern Clinical School, University of Sydney, Pacific Highway, St Leonards, NSW, 2065, Australia. david.hunter@sydney.edu.au.
University of Sydney · AURoyal North Shore Hospital · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThis study was performed to determine if the effectiveness of patellofemoral bracing as a treatment for patellofemoral osteoarthritis is influenced by patellofemoral joint alignment and trochlear morphology. We hypothesized that those with more extreme patellar malalignment would benefit more from bracing.

methodsThirty-eight patients who had received bracing as part of a comprehensive treatment plan for patellofemoral osteoarthritis were selected for this study. Ten measures of patellar alignment were taken from X-rays. These alignment measures were divided into percentile groups (tertiles) for contingency table analysis. Treatment outcome was measured by Western Ontario and Macmasters Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scores and these were dichotomised into two groups according to "Improved" or "Not Improved" according to the minimum clinically important difference (MCID). Spearman's rho test was performed for continuous variables and Fisher's exact test was performed for correlation between tertile groups and MCID categories.

resultsThirty-eight patients (9 male and 29 female) between the ages of 51 to 89 were included in this study. WOMAC scores ranged from -25 to 41.67, with a mean change of -3.97, 31.6, 44.7 and 31.6% of patients falling into the "Improved" group for Global, Pain and Function scores respectively. We found a non-significant trend shown (p = 0.058, correlation coefficient 0.31) between bisect offset and change in WOMAC global, indicating a trend for higher change in WOMAC scores with increasing bisect offset. Statistically significant correlations were found between mean MCID categories for the WOMAC global and function groups when analysed against percentile groups for bisect offset (p < 0.01) and patellar subluxation distance (p < 0.05), indicating those in higher percentile groups were more likely not to improve after six months.

conclusionHigher bisect offset and patellar subluxation distance measures were associated with poorer outcomes. However, due to the limited sample size, more studies are required to fully examine this relationship.

Indexed as

BracesAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedOsteoarthritis, KneePatellofemoral JointTreatment OutcomePatella alignmentPatellofemoral bracingPatellofemoral osteoarthritis

Identifiers

PMID28431578
PMCPMC5399843
OpenAlexW2606706369

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.