EFFECTIVENESS OF MANUAL THERAPY ON PAIN AND SELF-REPORTED FUNCTION IN INDIVIDUALS WITH PATELLOFEMORAL PAIN: SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE

Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is a very common orthopaedic condition. Clinical management of PFP typically consists of multimodal interventions potentially including exercises, education, taping and manual therapy. Some previous studies have attempted to address symptoms of PFP through the inclusion of manual therapy (MT), which could include patellofemoral joint, tibiofemoral joint or lumbar spine/sacroiliac joint mobilizations. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate and summarize the evidence for the effectiveness of MT interventions (either used alone or in combination with other interventions), compared with other interventions, placebo, or sham for pain and self-reported function in individuals with PFP.

METHODS

The authors searched four databases for randomized clinical trials. To be included in the review, studies had to include some form of manual therapy intervention directed at the patellofemoral joint, lower extremity or lumbar spine, either alone or combined with other interventions. Two reviewers independently extracted data from the included studies and rated them using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. The authors then combined studies that evaluated similar outcomes in a meta-analysis process so that conclusions could be drawn.

RESULTS

Nine studies were included in the final review. The authors reported these main findings:

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