Effectiveness of Tele-Prescription of Therapeutic Physical Exercise in Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The health crisis caused by COVID-19 has had a huge impact on the provision of physiotherapists' services during the pandemic. Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is a major health problem and one of the most common causes of pain in the front of the knee in outpatients. The objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of a therapeutic physical exercise (TPE) program supervised by a physiotherapist using telematic channels in reducing pain and disability in a sample of 54 patients with PFPS in the Physiotherapy Service of the San José de la Rinconada Health Center (Seville). Subjects were evaluated pre- and post-intervention (4 weeks-12 treatment sessions). An analysis was made of perceived pain-using the visual analog scale (VAS) and the DN4 neuropathic pain questionnaire-and functional balance-through the Kujala Score test and the Lower Extremity Functional Scale. The supervised TPE program in patients with PFPS produced a reduction in pain: VAS F_{1, 52} = 8.68 (<i>p</i> = 0.005) η² = 0.14 and DN4: F_{1, 52} = 69.94 (<i>p</i> = 0.000) η² = 0.57; and in Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS) disability: F_{1, 52} = 19.1 (<i>p</i> = 0.000) η² = 0.27 and KUJALA: F_{1, 52} = 60.28 (<i>p</i> = 0.000) η² = 0.54, which was statistically significant (<i>p</i> = 0.000 for <i>p</i> < 0.05). Hence, the TPE program presented was effective in reducing pain and disability in patients with PFPS.