Inclusion criteria |
· Symptoms of anterior knee pain for at least 1 month · Average pain level of 3 or more on a 10-cm visual analog scale during stepping up and down of a 30 cm high bench · Anterior or retropatellar knee pain on at least 2 of the following activities: prolonged sitting, climbing stairs, squatting, running, kneeling, and hopping/ jumping · Presence of two of the following clinical criteria on assessment: pain during apprehension test, pain during the patellar compression test, and crepitation during the compression test |
Exclusion criteria |
· Previous knee surgery or arthritis · History of patellar dislocation or subluxation, or ligament laxity · Patellar tendon pathology or chondral damage · Spinal referred pain · History of other abnormalities such as leg length inequalities (N 2 cm) · Medication as a part of the treatment · Previous physical therapy or acupuncture treatment for the knee within the previous 30 days |