ArticleBMJ open2018
The experience of living with patellofemoral pain-loss, confusion and fear-avoidance: a UK qualitative study.
Article in BMJ open, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 35 papers, 3 of them syntheses 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.
Effects of Mindfulness Practice With Strength Training on Pain, Kinesiophobia and Function Among Sprinters With Patellofemoral Syndrome
Running Informed, Not Just Trained: A Self-Directed Web-Based Education for Boston Marathon Runners With Patellofemoral Pain
Who cites it
35 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Are orthobiologics a plausible therapeutic option for patello-femoral pathology? A systematic review of clinical and radiological outcomes.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2026Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Psychological factors associated with foot and ankle pain: a mixed methods systematic review.Journal of foot and ankle research · 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
- Effect of adding short foot exercise to hip and knee focused exercises in treatment of patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2024Trial
- Patients' experiences of living with patellar instability before and after surgery: a qualitative interview study.BMJ open · 2023Trial
- Adolescent perspectives on participating in a feasibility trial investigating shoe inserts for patellofemoral pain.Journal of foot and ankle research · 2022Trial
- Adding Mindfulness Practice to Exercise Therapy for Female Recreational Runners With Patellofemoral Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of athletic training · 2021Trial
- Effects of exercise combined with whole body vibration in patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome: a randomised-controlled clinical trial.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2020Trial
- Trial
- A loaded self-managed exercise programme for patellofemoral pain: a mixed methods feasibility study.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2019Trial
- Is outcome observed in performance of clinical tests associated with patient-reported outcome measures after patellofemoral pain treatment? Secondary analysis of data from a randomized clinical trial.Brazilian journal of physical therapyTrial
- Biomechanical differences between females and males with patellofemoral pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of experimental orthopaedics · 2026Review
- Lived Experiences of Male Recreational Cyclists with Patellofemoral Pain in Al Madinah, Saudi Arabia.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Beliefs of People With Patellofemoral Pain About Their Condition and Treatments Before and After Self-Directed Access to a Web-Based Education Platform.Musculoskeletal care · 2025Article
- Comparison of Inflammatory Biomarkers in Females with and Without Patellofemoral Pain and Associations with Patella Position, Hip and Knee Kinematics, and Pain.Biomedicines · 2025Article
- Hip Muscle Strength and Fear of Movement are Associated with Self-Reported Function in Women with Patellofemoral Pain.Journal of musculoskeletal & neuronal interactions · 2025Article
- Article
- Predictors of Satisfaction in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis Treated with a Single Injection of Mannitol-Modified Crosslinked Hyaluronate Derivative.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Effect of movement-evoked and tonic experimental pain on muscle force production.Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo investigate the experience of living with patellofemoral pain (PFP).
designQualitative study design using semistructured interviews and analysed thematically using the guidelines set out by Braun and Clarke.
settingA National Health Service physiotherapy clinic within a large UK teaching hospital.
participantsA convenience sample of 10 participants, aged between 18 and 40 years, with a diagnosis of PFP and on a physiotherapy waiting list, prior to starting physiotherapy.
resultsParticipants offered rich and detailed accounts of the impact and lived experience of PFP, including loss of physical and functional ability; loss of self-identity; pain-related confusion and difficulty making sense of their pain; pain-related fear, including fear-avoidance and 'damage' beliefs; inappropriate coping strategies and fear of the future. The five major themes that emerged from the data were: (1) impact on self; (2) uncertainty, confusion and sense making; (3) exercise and activity beliefs; (4) behavioural coping strategies and (5) expectations of the future.
conclusionsThese findings offer an insight into the lived experience of individuals with PFP. Previous literature has focused on pain and biomechanics, rather than the individual experience, attached meanings and any wider context within a sociocultural perspective. Our findings suggest that future research is warranted into biopsychosocial targeted interventions aimed at the beliefs and pain-related fear for people with PFP. The current consensus that best-evidence treatments consisting of hip and knee strengthening may not be adequate to address the fears and beliefs identified in the current study. Further qualitative research may be warranted on the impact and interpretation of medical terminology commonly used with this patient group, for example, 'weakness' and 'patellar mal-tracking' and its impact and interpretation by patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN35272486; Pre-results.
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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.