A Clinical Investigation to Determine the Effectiveness of Biomechanical Foot Orthoses as Initial Treatment for Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome

This clinical investigation was undertaken to determine whether biomechanical foot orthoses (BFOs) can be used as first-line treatment of patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) within a family practice/sports medicine office setting. During a 36-month period from November 1995 through October 1998, those patients meeting the criteria for diagnosis and treatment of PFPS were prescribed BFOs as a first-line treatment if their knee pain occurred before, during, and after exercise (grade 3 pain) or if their knee pain prevented athletes/patients from participating in any form of exercise (grade 4 pain). Six months after the BFOs were properly fitted, each patient was sent a questionnaire to determine the outcome of treatment. On a scale from 1 (least painful) to 10 (most painful), the weighted average preBFO level of pain was 7.34 and 6 months later the weighted average pain level was 2.46. The overall weighted average knee-pain reduction was 4.9 (67% across the full range of patients). On the basis of this retrospective investigation, there are firm indications that high-quality, consistently fabricated BFOs offer athletes/patients a cost-effective first-line mode of treatment for PFPS of moderate to severe degree.