THE EFFECT OF TWELVE WEEKS OF SENSORIMOTOR EXERCISES ON DISTRIBUTION PLANTAR PRESSURE VARIABLES AND SYMMETRY INDEX IN PATIENTS WITH PATELLOFEMORAL PAIN SYNDROME: A RANDOMIZED DOUBLE-BLIND CLINICAL TRIAL

In patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome, the presence of pain, proprioception, and neuromuscular disorders leads to posture control disorder, which causes abnormal distribution plantar pressure. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of twelve weeks of sensorimotor exercises on distribution plantar pressure variables and symmetry index in patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome.

This study was conducted with an experimental group (16 patients) and a control group (16 patients). The measurement plantar pressure variables were recorded using plantar pressure variables device in standing position with two legs and open eyes. The experimental group performed sensorimotor exercises for twelve weeks, three times per week and one hour per session and control group did not receive any treatment during this time. SPSS 21 software was used for data analysis and covariance statistical method was utilized.

The twelve weeks sensorimotor exercises reduced pain (p = 0.001), variables of 95% confidence eellipse including, length of minor axis (p = 0.001), length of major axis (p = 0.002), range of sway (p = 0.001), and center of pressure variables including path length (p = 0.001), average speed (p = 0.001), sway of anterior-posterior (p = 0.002), sway of medial-lateral (p = 0.001) and improvement  symmetry in distribution plantar pressure.

It seems that sensorimotor exercises reduce pain, improve proprioception, co-contracting and feed-forward activity, and feedback muscle reduce posture sway and improve symmetry distribution plantar pressure in patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome.