The effect of strengthening of hip abductor and external rotator muscles on pain and function in women with patellofemoral pain syndrome

Weakness of the hip muscles has been hypothesized to influence lower limb alignment and contribute to patellofemoral pain. The purpose of this study was to describe the effect of additional strengthening of hip abductor and external rotator muscles in a strengthening quadriceps exercise program for patients with the patellofemoral pain syndrome. The participants were 21 patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome. The subjects were randomly assigned to the intervention group (strengthening of quadriceps / hip abductor and external rotator muscles) or to the control group (strengthening of quadriceps). Both groups participated in an eight-week exercise protocol. The perceived pain symptoms, knee extensor, hip abductor and external rotator muscles strength and function of patients were assessed before and after treatment. Parametric tests were used to compare the groups before and after treatment with α=0.05. The 2 groups were homogeneous prior to treatment in respect to demographic, pain, and functional scales data. Both the intervention and control groups showed significant improvement in the post tests results in pain symptoms, the muscle strength, and the functional status, when compared to the pretest results. But there weren’t any significant differences between 2 groups. Both rehabilitation approaches improved function and reduced pain. Supplementation of strengthening of hip abductor and lateral rotator muscles in a strengthening quadriceps exercise program didn’t provide additional benefits with respect to the perceived pain symptoms during functional activities in patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome after eight weeks of treatment.