Reduced flexibility of the infrapatellar fat pad (IFP) contributes to anterior knee pain. High-intensity continuous ultrasound (HICUS) decreases IFP stiffness and improves gliding. However, the effect of combining exercise therapy with HICUS remains unclear. We conducted a randomised, single-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial involving 20 healthy participants to evaluate the effects of combined active knee exercise and HICUS on IFP stiffness and gliding. Healthy participants received active knee exercise with HICUS and sham HICUS on separate days. HICUS was applied at 1 MHz, 2.5 W/cm2, 100% duty cycle for 5 min using an ultrasound unit with automatic rotation. The main outcomes were IFP stiffness at 10° and 120° knee flexion and IFP gliding. Measurements were taken before (T1), immediately after (T2), and 15 min after (T3) ultrasound irradiation. IFP stiffness at 10° knee flexion decreased from T1 (13.6 ± 1.7) to T2 (9.4 ± 0.8) under HICUS conditions. At 120° knee flexion, IFP stiffness decreased from T1 (57.5 ± 12.8) to T2 (31.6 ± 6.5) and T3 (36.8 ± 12.1) under HICUS conditions. IFP gliding improved from T1 (29.6 ± 1.3) to T2 (34.7 ± 1.3) and T3 (32.8 ± 1.4) under HICUS conditions and from T1 (29.2 ± 1.5) to T2 (30.9 ± 1.2) under placebo conditions. These findings suggest that combined active knee exercise and HICUS is a safe, effective short-term intervention to reduce IFP stiffness and improve gliding. Further studies involving patients with knee osteoarthritis are needed to validate its clinical applicability.

