Prevalence of Anterior Knee Pain and Related Functional Limitations among Physical Therapy Students – A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Anterior knee pain is one of the challenge in MSK cases with pain during knee flexion, stairs climbing and functional activity. Anterior knee pain can cause hindrance in functional activity that leads to impaired physical development reduced fitness, altering your body composition with impaired motor skill. Rehabilitation protocol emphasize on posture control, extremity coordination and strengthening. The prevalence of knee pain is increasing in both male and female but mostly females. Anterior knee pain or patellofemoral pain mostly undiagnosed or untreated due to poor awareness and untrained professional with limited resources of preventive care in Pakistan. Due to lack of studies on Pakistani subject particularly young physical therapy students who had high demand of physical work and are likely to experience any additional MSK pain, this study will help to evaluate the occurrence of knee pain and limited functional activities in physical therapy students. Objective: To determine the prevalence of anterior knee pain and related functional limitation among physical therapy students. Methodology: A cross-sectional observational study on Physical Therapy university students with a sample size of 174 which will be taken from Indus University, Jinnah Sindh Medical University and Liaquat National University of Karachi, Pakistan. A non-probability convenience sampling technique will be used to include both males and females in study. Demographic questions along with Kujala Knee Pain scale and VAS scale used . Data will be analyzed using SPSS version 26 to assess the prevalence of  anterior knee pain and related limited functional limitation. Participation will be voluntary with informed consent, and respondents’