Dr. Reed Ferber, Director of Running Injury Clinic, looks to ‘unlock’ the secrets of common knee pain.

(University of Calgary:) Do your knees hurt? Have they been hurting for a long time? You’re not alone! Knee-pain is the most common ailment for people who exercise regularly, particularly  Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS.) “Unfortunately," says Dr. Reed Ferber, "People who suffer from patellofemoral pain are usually in it for the long-haul. Many people have repeated episodes of pain for 20 years or more and the condition often leads to osteoarthritis.

Dr. Ferber, a researcher with the Faculty of Kinesiology and the Director of the Running and Walking Injury Clinic, was recently awarded a grant from the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) to pursue the source of patellofemoral pain syndrome. “Despite the prevalence of the condition,” says Ferber, “No one has really researched why it occurs in the first place – that’s what I’m hoping to discover with this project. Once we understand the cause we can find interventions that will keep people pain-free for the long term.”

Ferber’s research project will compare a group of 100 PFPS patients with a control group of healthy runners. The study will compare the subjects’ hip strength and running biomechanics before and after a rehabilitation program and then follow the groups for up to two years. “Our previous research,” says Ferber, “has shown us that virtually all knee pain starts from the foot up, or the hip down. What we want to investigate is whether this condition is related to hip weakness and thus poor running mechanics and whether getting stronger is the most effective treatment."

Dr. Ferber is a biomechanist by trade, his revolutionary approach is to observe injured runners and find the biomechanical ‘root’ of their problem using a sophisticated diagnostic model. Instead of treating with surgery or medication, Ferber prescribes an innovative program of strengthening and stretching that addresses a patient’s weakest areas.

By any estimation his approach is working since Ferber has a clinically proven cure-rate of over 92%.  “Being active - regardless of our age - is really the most important thing that we can do for our health,” says Ferber, “so what we do is very important. We help people get back to doing the activities they love and we do it quickly.”