Difference in knee joint position sense in athletes with and without patellofemoral pain syndrome

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate knee joint position sense (JPS) in athletes with patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) and compare it with healthy participants under non-weight bearing (sitting) and weight bearing (standing) conditions. Methods: Twenty patients and 20 healthy athletes participated in this study. JPS was evaluated by active replication of knee angles with visual cues eliminated. Two target angles in sitting and one in standing were tested. Each test and replication was repeated three times. By subtracting the test angle from the replicated angle, the absolute error was calculated as a dependent variable. Results: No significant difference in knee JPS was found between groups either in the sitting or in the standing tests. Conclusion: It seems that PFPS does not affect the knee JPS in athletes. The lack of deficiency in patients could possibly be attributed to their severity of knee pathology, pain intensity and their physical activity level. Level of evidence: Case-control study, Level III.