An investigation on a new vacuum-based knee brace to produce patellofemoral joint distraction: A preliminary study

Patellar bracing is a common component of treatment in patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS). Most of the currently used braces act based on re-aligning the patella; however, a new brace was designed by the researchers, which acts via external vacuum system. This preliminary study aimed to determine whether the new vacuum brace is able to pull up the patella into the vacuumic cup and create a suitable patello-femoral joint distraction. Seventeen knees from ten patients with PFPS were undertaken for the computerized tomography scan study at 0° and 30° knee flexion immediately before and after the bracing. The outcome measurements included the patello-femoral joint area (PFJA), and the average patellofemoral joint space width (APFJSW). The results of this study demonstrated a significant increase in PFJA and APFJSW parameters following the vacuum bracing (P<0.001) at both knee angles. ‍ The results showed that applying a vacuum brace can create an appropriate patellofemoral joint distraction.