Evaluation of correlation between Q-angle and anterior knee pain

Knee pain is one of common cause that patients refer to orthopedic clinics and has several reasons. One group is reversible and other is irreversible. Excessive Q-angle composes of 10% causes of knee pain reasons and is recovered (90%) by physical therapy. This study was conducted for evaluation of correlation of knee pain with excessive Q-angle and comparing both sexes and ages groups.

100 patients (50 men and 50 women) in a simple convenience study were enrolled in this research. Q-angle and pain scale (VSA) were measured and then Q-angle deviation in both sexes and ages groups analyzed using ANOVA, t-test. Spearman test with SPSS17 software.

The correlation between severity of knee pain and Q-angle in general population and in both sex was significant using of Spearman’s test. There was no significant correlation between different ages and Q-angle. There was significant relationship between Q-angle in men and women (P<0.05). 10% of men, 18% of women and 14% of general population refered to orthopedic clinic had Q-angle greater than normal range.

Higher level of Q-angle in females might be related to anatomical differences and high level of estrogen, multiparity, malnutrition, genetical differences and exceesive activity, in females.