Telerehabilitation for Patellofemoral Pain

NCT07557784 | Not Yet Recruiting DMC

• 1 other identifier: 092H
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 106
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is a common musculoskeletal condition characterized by pain around or behind the patella during activities such as stair ambulation, squatting, running, jumping, and prolonged sitting. Exercise therapy combined with patient education is considered first-line treatment, and supervised rehabilitation is commonly used to improve adherence and clinical outcomes. Telerehabilitation may increase accessibility and reduce time and travel burden, but high-quality evidence remains limited regarding whether telerehabilitation provides outcomes that are not inferior to conventional face-to-face supervised rehabilitation in individuals with PFP. This study is a randomized, assessor-blinded, non-inferiority trial designed to compare telerehabilitation with face-to-face supervised rehabilitation in individuals with patellofemoral pain. The trial will evaluate whether telerehabilitation is not inferior to face-to-face supervised rehabilitation in improving pain and knee-related function, while also examining psychological outcomes, self-satisfaction, and adherence.

Conditions

Patellofemoral Pain, PFP

Keywords

Telerehabilitation; Patellofemoral Pain

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Anterior Knee Pain Scale

  Baseline; 6 weeks; 18 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (6)

• Numerical Rating Pain Scale

  Baseline; 6 weeks; 18 weeks

• The Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score

  Baseline; 6 weeks; 18 weeks

• Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia

  Baseline; 6 weeks; 18 weeks

• Pain Catastrophizing Scale

  Baseline; 6 weeks; 18 weeks

• EQ-5D-5L

  Baseline; 6 weeks; 18 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Telerehabilitation Group

EXPERIMENTAL

A 6-week remotely supervised rehabilitation program including education, progressive exercise therapy, and regular therapist-guided follow-up delivered through digital communication platforms.

Behavioral: Telerehabilitation

Face-to-Face Group

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

A 6-week in-person supervised rehabilitation program including education, progressive exercise therapy, and regular therapist-guided follow-up.

Behavioral: Face-to-Face Rehabilitation

Interventions

Telerehabilitation BEHAVIORAL

A 6-week remotely supervised rehabilitation program including education, progressive exercise therapy, and regular therapist-guided follow-up delivered through digital communication platforms.

Telerehabilitation Group

Face-to-Face Rehabilitation BEHAVIORAL

A 6-week in-person supervised rehabilitation program including education, progressive exercise therapy, and regular therapist-guided follow-up.

Face-to-Face Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 45 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Aged 18 to 45 years
• Clinical diagnosis of patellofemoral pain
• History of anterior or retropatellar knee pain for at least 3 months
• Pain provoked by at least two of the following activities: stair ambulation, squatting, running, jumping, or prolonged sitting
• Baseline knee pain intensity of at least 3/10 on the Numerical Rating Pain Scale
• Willing and able to participate in the rehabilitation program and follow-up assessments
• Able to provide written informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• Previous knee surgery
• History of patellar dislocation or instability
• Evidence of ligament injury, meniscal injury requiring separate management, moderate to severe knee osteoarthritis, or other major structural knee pathology
• Concurrent hip, ankle, lumbar spine, or other musculoskeletal disorders substantially affecting lower limb function
• Neurological disorders affecting movement or balance
• Severe cardiopulmonary or systemic disease contraindicating exercise
• Received structured lower limb rehabilitation within the previous 3 months
• Pregnancy
• Any other condition judged by the investigators to make participation unsuitable

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Beijing Sport University: lead

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome

Interventions

Telerehabilitation

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Joint Diseases; Musculoskeletal Diseases

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Rehabilitation; Aftercare; Continuity of Patient Care; Patient Care; Therapeutics; Health Services; Health Care Facilities Workforce and Services; Telemedicine; Delivery of Health Care; Patient Care Management; Health Services Administration

Central Study Contacts

Hao-Nan Wang

CONTACT

8615600563019; haonanwang@aliyun.com

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Research Fellow

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 17, 2026
• First Posted: April 29, 2026
• Study Start (Estimated): May 20, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 20, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 20, 2027
• Last Updated: April 29, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share