Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Not Yet Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT07557784

Telerehabilitation for Patellofemoral Pain

Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is a common musculoskeletal condition characterized by pain around or behind the patella during activities such as stair ambulation, squatting, running, jumping, and prolonged sitting. Exercise therapy combined with patient education is considered first-line treatment, and supervised rehabilitation is commonly used to improve adherence and clinical outcomes.

Telerehabilitation may increase accessibility and reduce time and travel burden, but high-quality evidence remains limited regarding whether telerehabilitation provides outcomes that are not inferior to conventional face-to-face supervised rehabilitation in individuals with PFP.

This study is a randomized, assessor-blinded, non-inferiority trial designed to compare telerehabilitation with face-to-face supervised rehabilitation in individuals with patellofemoral pain. The trial will evaluate whether telerehabilitation is not inferior to face-to-face supervised rehabilitation in improving pain and knee-related function, while also examining psychological outcomes, self-satisfaction, and adherence.

Not Yet Recruiting

Trial opening soon.

Get Notified

Key information

Conditions

Patellofemoral Pain, PFP Joint Diseases Musculoskeletal Diseases Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome

Age range

18 year–45 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

  • Inclusion Criteria
  • Aged 18 to 45 years
  • Clinical diagnosis of patellofemoral pain
  • History of anterior or retropatellar knee pain for at least 3 months
  • Pain provoked by at least two of the following activities: stair ambulation, squatting, running, jumping, or prolonged sitting
  • Baseline knee pain intensity of at least 3/10 on the Numerical Rating Pain Scale
  • Willing and able to participate in the rehabilitation program and follow-up assessments
  • Able to provide written informed consent
  • Exclusion Criteria
  • Previous knee surgery
  • History of patellar dislocation or instability
  • Evidence of ligament injury, meniscal injury requiring separate management, moderate to severe knee osteoarthritis, or other major structural knee pathology
  • Concurrent hip, ankle, lumbar spine, or other musculoskeletal disorders substantially affecting lower limb function
  • Neurological disorders affecting movement or balance
  • Severe cardiopulmonary or systemic disease contraindicating exercise
  • Received structured lower limb rehabilitation within the previous 3 months
  • Pregnancy
  • Any other condition judged by the investigators to make participation unsuitable

Treatment and study plan

Telerehabilitation

Behavioral

A 6-week remotely supervised rehabilitation program including education, progressive exercise therapy, and regular therapist-guided follow-up delivered through digital communication platforms.

Face-to-Face Rehabilitation

Behavioral

A 6-week in-person supervised rehabilitation program including education, progressive exercise therapy, and regular therapist-guided follow-up.

Primary outcomes

  1. Anterior Knee Pain Scale

    Time frame: Baseline; 6 weeks; 18 weeks

Secondary outcomes

  1. Numerical Rating Pain Scale

    Time frame: Baseline; 6 weeks; 18 weeks

  2. The Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score

    Time frame: Baseline; 6 weeks; 18 weeks

  3. Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia

    Time frame: Baseline; 6 weeks; 18 weeks

  4. Pain Catastrophizing Scale

    Time frame: Baseline; 6 weeks; 18 weeks

  5. EQ-5D-5L

    Time frame: Baseline; 6 weeks; 18 weeks

  6. Muscle strength

    Time frame: Baseline; 6 weeks

    Muscle strength was evaluated by maximal contractions using an isokinetic test system. During the test, they were asked to perform five constant flexion and extension motions at their maximum effort using a concentric-concentric contractions model. Knee muscle strength was recorded by peak torque (Nm).

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Hao-Nan Wang

CONTACT

[email protected]

8615600563019

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Beijing Sport University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Telerehabilitation Versus Face-to-Face Supervised Rehabilitation for Patellofemoral Pain: A Randomized Non-Inferiority Trial

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2027
First posted
Apr 29, 2026
Registry last updated
Apr 29, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.