The effects of one period of exercise therapy program on Q and popliteal angle in athlethes with Pattellofemoral pain syndrome

Introduction: Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is a common clinical term used to describe a variety of pathologic conditions associated with the articulation between the patella and the femoral condyles. The aim of present study was to examine the effect of one period of exercise therapy program on Q and popliteal angle in athlethes with Pattellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS).Materials and Methods: Participants of this semi-experimental study were 60 athlethes with PFPS from volleyball, karate and taekwondo majors with the mean age of 21.38±0.15 yr, mean height of 170.18±1.52 cm, and mean weight of  60.79±0.67 kg who had more than 3 years of experience in sports (control group= 30 athletes and experimental group= 30 athletes). In this study, Q and Popliteal angle were measured using a guniometer and knee pain severity assessed via Visual Analog Scal (VAS) before initiation and at the end of a four-week exercise therapy program. Paired and independent t-tests were used for statistical analysis of data by SPSS program version 17 (P< 0.05). Results: The results revealed that the four-week exercise therapy program had a significant effect on decreasing knee pain in athlethes with Pattellofemoral pain syndrome. Also, Hamstring muscles group flexibility and Quadriceps muscles strength increased after executing exercise therapy program. conclussions: Based on this study results, the strenghthing and streetching program on the knee extensor and flexor muscles may be usefull for treating patients with PFPS. Further research is needed to proof this finding.   Keywords: Q angle, Popliteal angle, Exercise therapy, Patellofemoral pain syndrome