Filed Under (Corrective Exercise, Exercise Rehabilitation, Fitness Education, Knee Injury, Knee Pain, Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome) by Rick Kaselj on 06-07-2010
Before I get to the exercise, I got a few videos for you.
What is the Best Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome Exercise?
What is Patellofemoral Femoral Pain Syndrome?
If you are Looking for an Exercise Program to Help you with Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome, check this one out:
What Exercise is Ideal for Clients with Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome due to Muscle Imbalances
Approximately 60% of athletes have patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) sometime in their life, and a long line of research has shown that PFPS is primarily caused by muscle imbalances in the vastus medialis oblique (VMO) and vastus lateralis (VL) muscles.
Activation, endurance and strengthening of these muscles is key to PFPS prevention and rehabilitation, but the best exercises for these muscles have not been conclusively determined.
In an effort to help clarify contradictory findings in the exercise science literature on this topic, researchers in the United Kingdom conducted a study designed to test the effect of two closed kinetic chain exercises and one open kinetic chain exercise on VMO and VL muscle activity in healthy individuals.
Highlights of the Study
The study’s participants were 11 men and 11 women between the ages of 18 and 40 who were not experiencing any symptoms of PFPS at the time of the study.
Researchers used electromyography (EMG) to measure VMO and VL activity and calculate a VMO:VL ratio while the participants performed three quadriceps-strengthening exercises after a 5-minute indoor cycling warm-up.
Other Amazing Stats about Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome
- incident rates in the general population of 25%
- one of the most common injuries in the lower body
- the ratio of VMO:VL should be 1:1 but in people with PFPS it is estimated to be 0.54:1.
- muscle imbalance of VMO:VL leads to a decrease in medial pull leading to patella maltracking
