The Effect of Resistance Training on Lower Extremity Pain, Strength and Kinematical Parameters in Women With Patellofemoral Complications

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of strengthening the abductor and external rotator of the hip joint muscles on pain, thigh muscle strength, and lower limb kinematics in volleyball players with patellofemoral complications.

Twenty-four volleyball players with patellofemoral pain were randomly divided into the experimental and control groups. The experimental group received three sessions of strengthening exercises for the abductor muscles and external rotators of the hip joint using Traband for eight weeks. The control group received no training intervention. The pain was assessed by visual acuity scale, hip muscle strength by hand dynamometer, and lower limb kinematics using video analysis before and after the intervention. Samples included volleyball players with patellofemoral pain who had pain in one or both knees. If the pain was bilateral, the exercises were performed bilaterally on both lower limbs, but measurements were taken only from the lower extremity, which was most in pain. Analysis of covariance was used by SPSS software for statistical analysis.

The results of this study showed that after training, in the experimental group, pain decreased and the strength of the abductor’s muscles and external rotator of the hip joint muscles increased. Knee dynamic valgus and pelvic drop were observed in single-leg squat only in the experimental group. 

The results showed that the strengthening of the hip joint can decrease the pain of volleyball players with patellofemoral, increase the strength of the muscles and change the kinematics of the lower limbs on the frontal plane, and this can be the mechanism of the effect of this intervention on the symptoms of pain.