Assessment of Therapeutic Ultrasound as an Adjunctive Modality in the Management of Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS): A Clinical Evaluation

Background: Anterior knee pain is a key symptom of Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS), a common musculoskeletal disorder often caused by improper patellar tracking and abnormalities in soft tissue. Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the effectiveness of UST on PFPS among students at a private medical university, the Frisbee club. Methods: A survey derived from the SNAPPS questionnaire (Survey instrument for Natural history, Aetiology and Prevalence of Patellofemoral pain Studies) to diagnose individuals with PFPS was sent out to the frisbee club students and we had a total of 61 responses. Out of 61 responses, 11 individuals meet the inclusion criteria of this research. The scores for pre- and post-treatment provided an insight into whether therapeutic ultrasound is effective in individuals with PFPS. This interventional study involves 2 sessions of 5 minutes of ultrasound with a frequency of 1 MHz and intensity of 1.5 W/cm² applied to the affected knee. Results: The outcome measure used was the Anterior Knee Pain Scale (AKPS). The results of this study showed that out of 11 individuals, 9 showed improvement in pain scores pre- and post-treatment (p<0.05). However, 2 participants reported slightly more perceptive pain after treatment, and 1 participant had the same pain scores before and after treatment. This variation could be attributed to subjective pain scoring and differences in individual pain perception. Conclusion: These results provide credence to the use of therapeutic ultrasound as a useful supplement in the conservative treatment of PFPS.