Lasting relief of chronic anterior knee pain in young adult after ten weekly inductive physiotherapy sessions: A case report

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Callens, Christian^{a; *} | Nisand, Michaël^a | Isner-Horobeti, Marie-Eve^b

Affiliations: [a] University of Strasbourg, France | [b] Strasbourg University Rehabilitation Institute, Strasbourg, France

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Christian Callens, University of Strasbourg, 21, rue du Maréchal Lefebvre, F-67100 Strasbourg, France. Tel.: +33 368 85 49 26; E-mail: callens@unistra.fr.

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Patellofemoral pain syndrome particularly impairs quality of life in young, physically active subjects. The exact etiology remains unknown, and so this syndrome is a challenging condition to treat. Some patients continue to experience pain and dysfunction after receiving one or more guidelines-compliant conservative treatments. Reducing the likelihood of patellofemoral pain syndrome is an important way of preventing the onset of debilitating anterior knee pain at all ages of life. CASE: A 24-year-old sportswoman with a 15-month history of anterior knee pain and failure of previous guidelines-compliant treatments. We treated this patient with techniques derived from the paradigm of inductive physiotherapy, in which tone disorders with a central origin may contribute to musculoskeletal disorders. One distinctive feature of inductive physiotherapy relates to the fact that the painful area is not manipulated directly. RESULTS: The effects of physiotherapy were evaluated after ten weekly sessions and then 15 months later. The changes in the visual analogue pain scale score and the Knee Lequesne Index were clinically significant. We also observed an unexpected reduction in the static varus misalignment. CONCLUSION: This case could pave the way to an innovative neurological approach to the management of patellofemoral pain syndrome in the young adult.

Keywords: Musculoskeletal disorders, patellofemoral pain syndrome, varus misalignment

DOI: 10.3233/BMR-150336

Journal: Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation, vol. 30, no. 6, pp. 1333-1338, 2017