Category

Poster - Theoretical Proposal

Description

Context: Running is a popular and accessible athletic activity, but many individuals are deterred by the pain and injury associated with it. Gait retraining, particularly transitioning to a forefoot strike (FFS), has gained popularity as an intervention for patellofemoral pain, a common running-related injury. This critically appraised topic aims to investigate the impact of running gait retraining to FFS patterns on the incidence and management of patellofemoral pain. Methods: A computerized search was conducted in October 2023, focusing on terms related to patellofemoral pain, gait, and forefoot. Inclusion criteria encompassed articles from the last 10 years, studies with human subjects, randomized control trials, those including forefoot gait retraining, and a running population. Exclusion criteria comprised non-randomized trials, studies measuring other indicators of patellofemoral pain, and studies focusing on gait retraining types other than forefoot running. Three relevant studies were identified, each with different intervention protocols. These articles were critically appraised via the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale resulting in a score of 7/10 for dos Santos et al.1, 5/10 for Roper et al.2, and 5/10 for Wang et al.3 Results: Dos Santos et al.1 and Roper et al.2 used various gait retraining techniques with reinforcement through standardized phrases and mirror feedback, while Wang et al.3 introduced minimal shoes for forefoot striking. The outcome measures varied, with a focus on kinematic outcomes and patellofemoral pain indicators such as VAS scores, AKPS, and LEFS. The findings demonstrated a reduction in pain and positive changes in kinematic variables for FFS gait intervention, with values exceeding minimal clinically significant differences. Conclusions: Gait retraining to FFS was effective in reducing patellofemoral pain symptoms and improving function. However, the improvements were not consistently accompanied by significant kinematic differences. These findings suggest that this intervention can reduce running-related knee pain and patellofemoral joint loads, decreasing the risk of patellofemoral pain syndrome.

Comments

Graduate - 1st Place Award Winner

Share

COinS
 
Apr 16th, 1:00 PM

Forefoot Gait Retraining as an Intervention for Patellofemoral Pain: A Critically Appraised Topic

Poster - Theoretical Proposal

Context: Running is a popular and accessible athletic activity, but many individuals are deterred by the pain and injury associated with it. Gait retraining, particularly transitioning to a forefoot strike (FFS), has gained popularity as an intervention for patellofemoral pain, a common running-related injury. This critically appraised topic aims to investigate the impact of running gait retraining to FFS patterns on the incidence and management of patellofemoral pain. Methods: A computerized search was conducted in October 2023, focusing on terms related to patellofemoral pain, gait, and forefoot. Inclusion criteria encompassed articles from the last 10 years, studies with human subjects, randomized control trials, those including forefoot gait retraining, and a running population. Exclusion criteria comprised non-randomized trials, studies measuring other indicators of patellofemoral pain, and studies focusing on gait retraining types other than forefoot running. Three relevant studies were identified, each with different intervention protocols. These articles were critically appraised via the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale resulting in a score of 7/10 for dos Santos et al.1, 5/10 for Roper et al.2, and 5/10 for Wang et al.3 Results: Dos Santos et al.1 and Roper et al.2 used various gait retraining techniques with reinforcement through standardized phrases and mirror feedback, while Wang et al.3 introduced minimal shoes for forefoot striking. The outcome measures varied, with a focus on kinematic outcomes and patellofemoral pain indicators such as VAS scores, AKPS, and LEFS. The findings demonstrated a reduction in pain and positive changes in kinematic variables for FFS gait intervention, with values exceeding minimal clinically significant differences. Conclusions: Gait retraining to FFS was effective in reducing patellofemoral pain symptoms and improving function. However, the improvements were not consistently accompanied by significant kinematic differences. These findings suggest that this intervention can reduce running-related knee pain and patellofemoral joint loads, decreasing the risk of patellofemoral pain syndrome.

 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.