Funding Agency
Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research: Population Health New Investigator Award
Date
July 2008 – July 2015
Objective
PFPS affects approximately 2-3 million Canadians in any given year. The literature provides evidence that PFPS persists for up to 20 years after initial diagnosis despite attempts at rehabilitation. The longevity of this disease and low success rate following rehabilitation raises questions as to the effectiveness of current rehabilitation protocols and previous research related to determining the aetiology of PFPS. The primary purpose of this investigation is to determine whether PFPS is related to atypical running biomechanics, secondary to reduced hip and quadriceps muscle strength. A secondary purpose of this study is to determine whether alterations in gait biomechanics, as a result of cessation of a strengthening protocol and subsequent decreases in muscle strength, occur 6 months following treatment.