Abstract
Introduction Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is one of the most common knee conditions across the lifespan. An essential question from patients is “what is the expected course/outcome”? Currently, there are no comprehensive syntheses of current evidence to inform clinical practice on prognosis for those living with PFP. This systematic review aims to investigate the long-term (defined as ≥ 12 months) prognosis of knee pain and knee function in adults and adolescents with PFP.
Materials and Methods A systematic search was performed in PubMed, EMBase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Web of Science, OpenGrey.eu. This was supplemented with a hand search, including recent International Patellofemoral Research Retreat abstracts. Prospective studies investigating long-term prognosis (≥12 months) in people with PFP aged < 40 years were included. Retrospective studies and studies with < 20 participants were excluded. Identified studies were screened and data was extracted on knee pain and self-reported knee function (all done by at least two independent reviewers). The systematic review was pre-registered on OSF.io (DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/WD4T3).
Results 17723 records were identified. After removal of duplicates 12203 were screened with185 studies assessed by full text for eligibility. 66 studies were included. Of these, 15 were randomised control trials and 51 were prospective cohort studies.
Conclusion We will present the results for the long-term prognosis for people living with PFP at the Sportskongres 2022. Our results will provide clinicians and patients with a potential answer to one of the most frequently asked questions.
