Hip Muscle Strength and Fear of Movement are Associated with Self-Reported Function in Women with Patellofemoral Pain.

Objectives: We aimed to investigate the relationship between self-reported lower extremity function, fear of movement, and quadriceps, hamstring, and hip stabilizer muscle strength in women with patellofemoral pain.

Methods: Fifty-four women (age: 32.59±7.00) were included in the study. We assessed self-reported function with the Lower Extremity Functional Scale and fear of movement with the Tampa Scale for kinesiophobia. The strength of the quadriceps, hamstring, and hip stabilizer muscles was determined with a hand-held dynamometer. Relationships between variables were examined using Pearson correlation analysis and binary logistic regression analysis.

Results: Self-reported function showed a moderate positive correlation with hip stabilizer muscle strength (r=0.408, p=0.002) and negative correlation with fear of movement (r=-0.500, p<0.01).

Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that fear of movement and hip stabilizer muscle strength are factors associated with self-reported lower extremity function in women with patellofemoral pain.