title: Dose-response effects of medical exercise therapy in patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome: a randomised controlled clinical trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate two different therapeutic exercise regimens in patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Multicentre, randomised controlled clinical trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three primary healthcare physiotherapy clinics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-two patients with PFPS were assigned at random to an experimental group or a control group. Forty participants completed the study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Both groups received three treatments per week for 12 weeks. The experimental group received high-dose, high-repetition medical exercise therapy, and the control group received low-dose, low-repetition exercise therapy. The groups differed in terms of number of exercises, number of repetitions and sets, and time spent performing aerobic/global exercises.
  
  
  METHODS
  Outcome parameters were pain (measured using a visual analogue scale) and function [measured using the step-down test and the modified Functional Index Questionnaire (FIQ)].
  
  
  RESULTS
  At baseline, there were no differences between the groups. After the interventions, there were statistically significant (P<0.05) and clinically important differences between the groups for all outcome parameters, all in favour of the experimental group: -1.6 for mean pain [95% confidence interval (CI) -2.4 to -0.8], 6.5 for step-down test (95% CI 3.8 to 9.2) and 3.1 for FIQ (95% CI 1.2 to 5.0).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results indicate that exercise therapy has a dose-response effect on pain and functional outcomes in patients with PFPS. This indicates that high-dose, high-repetition medical exercise therapy is more efficacious than low-dose, low-repetition exercise therapy for this patient group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Education and Social Work, Sør-Trøndelag University College, Trondheim, Norway. berit.osteras@hist.no
authors.forename: Berit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Østerås
authors.forename: Håvard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Østerås
authors.forename: Tom Arild
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Torstensen
authors.forename: Ottar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Vasseljen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D046788:Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome / Q000628:therapy*; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D020127:Recovery of Function; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013812:Therapeutics; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult