Q-angle: an invaluable parameter for evaluation of anterior knee pain
One article on PainSci cites Emami 2007: The Complete Guide to Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome
original abstract †Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.
BACKGROUND: Patellofemoral pain syndrome is a descriptive term applied to patients with nonspecific anterior knee pain, and is the most common knee problem. The pain in most patellofemoral disorders is generalized to the anterior part of the knee. One important concept in patellofemoral joint function is the quadriceps angle (Q-angle). Theoretically, a higher Q-angle increases the lateral pull of the quadriceps femoris muscle on the patella and potentiates patellofemoral disorders. This study was undertaken to evaluate the relationship between the anterior knee pain and Q-angle.
METHODS: This prospective study was performed on two groups; the case group consisted of 100 outpatients (44 men, and 56 women) aged between 15 and 35 years, with anterior knee pain. The control group consisted of 100 outpatients (50 men, and 50 women) with the same age distribution, who presented with different problems in the upper extremities and no knee problems. The Q-angle of each knee was measured in all participants, using a universal goniometer.
RESULTS: The mean Q-angle for men, women, and all participants in the case group was 15.2, 20.1, and 18.0 degrees, respectively. In the normal control group the angles were 12.1, 16.7, and 14.9 degrees, respectively. All these differences were statistically significant (P < 0.001).
CONCLUSION: These results substantiate the fact that patients with anterior knee pain have larger Q-angles than healthy individuals.
This page is part of the PainScience BIBLIOGRAPHY, which contains plain language summaries of thousands of scientific papers & others sources. It’s like a highly specialized blog. A few highlights:
- Cannabidiol (CBD) products for pain: ineffective, expensive, and with potential harms. Moore 2023 J Pain.
- Inciting events associated with lumbar disc herniation. Suri 2010 Spine J.
- Prediction of an extruded fragment in lumbar disc patients from clinical presentations. Pople 1994 Spine (Phila Pa 1976).
- Characteristics of patients with low back and leg pain seeking treatment in primary care: baseline results from the ATLAS cohort study. Konstantinou 2015 BMC Musculoskelet Disord.
- Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of universal school-based mindfulness training compared with normal school provision in reducing risk of mental health problems and promoting well-being in adolescence: the MYRIAD cluster randomised controlled trial. Kuyken 2022 Evid Based Ment Health.