Foot orthotics in the treatment of patellofemoral pain syndrome: A randomised control trial in primary care

Funded Activity Summary

Musculoskeletal conditions account for the third leading cause of health systems expenditure in Australia. Patellofemoral pain syndrome or pain about the knee cap is such a condition and is often treated in primary care. Both the individual and community are affected by this condition with an estimated 1 in 4 suffers still having problems and pain up to 20 years after first being afflicted. Importantly it interferes with activities such as walking, jogging, gym classes and aerobics, which are often prescribed to prevent serious conditions of the heart, diabetes and obesity. Hence it negatively impacts on the health and well being of our nation. Two popular treatment options that are commonly prescribed for the management of patellofemoral pain syndrome are physiotherapy and foot orthotics. To date there is some evidence supporting physiotherapy, especially current best practice methods such as a combined program of therapeutic exercise, manual therapy and kneecap taping. There is a lack of evidence for the use of orthotics in treating patellofemoral pain syndrome. This project will conduct a randomised clinical trial to evaluate the relative benefits of orthotics as the sole treatment of patellofemoral pain syndrome and also when combined with physiotherapy. Factors associated with predicting the results of orthotic therapy will be studied to see if there are any tests that a health care practitioner can perform to provide information early on in a consultation regarding possible treatment outcomes. A cost-benefit analysis will also be conducted to calculate the relative economic merits of the treatments. A tangible outcome of this project will be the development of clinical guidelines for the most effective method of treating patellofemoral pain syndrome in primary health care.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2004

End Date: 01-01-2006

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $192,625.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Rehabilitation And Therapy: Occupational And Physical

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

There are no SEO codes available for this funding activity

Other Keywords

evidence based practice | exercise therapy | injury | musculoskeletal pain | physical activity | physiotherapy | primary health care | randomised controlled trial | rehabilitation

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