DOI: https://doi.org/10.53350/pjmhs22165686 ORIGINAL ARTICLE 686 P J M H S Vol. 16, No. 05, May 2022 “Comparison of Specific Hip Strengthening Exercises and Conventional Knee Exercises on Pain, Muscle Strength and Function in Sprinters with Patello-Femoral Pain Syndrome” MAHNOOR ASIF 1 , YASHA SAJJAD 2 , ALI ASAD NAEEM 3 , NOMAN GHAFFAR 4 , TAHZEEM RIAZ 5 , ABDUL MANNAN 6 , SADAF WARIS 7 1 Physiotherapist at Rex Medical Center, Model Town, Lahore; 2 Demonstrator, SAHS, CMH LMC & IOD Lahore 3 Demonstrator, SAHS, CMH LMC & IOD Lahore 4 Lecturer Central Park College of Allied Health Sciences Lahore 5 Physiotherapist at Riphah Rehabilitation Centre Lahore 6 Physiotherapist at Rex Medical Center, Model Town, Lahore 7 Senior Lecturer Avicenna Medical and Dental College, Lahore Corresponding author: Sadaf Waris, Email: dr.sadaf54@gmail.com, Cell: 03088112501 ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of this study is to compare the effects of strengthening exercises of Hip and conventional Knee exercises on pain, muscle strength and functional status in sprinters with Patello femoral pain syndrome Methodology: A randomized controlled trial was performed on 28 sprinters. Participants were selected through non-probability convenient sampling. The study was single blinded and was completed in 6 months. The assessor was unaware of the treatment given to both groups. Group 1 received Conventional knee exercises and weight bearing hip strengthening exercises and Group 2 received traditional knee exercises and strengthening exercises of hip with resistance. All Exercises were performed with 12 reps and 3 sets, 3 times a week for 6 weeks. Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) for pain, AKPS (anterior knee pain scale) for functional status and make test applied through hand held dynamometer measured strength through contractions of knee muscles. Results: The mean age of individuals in interventional group is 22.79 ±4.28 and the individuals in control group is 24.07 ±4.51. Both groups showed significant improvements in pain, function and muscle strength with p<0.05. There were not any significant changes in both groups with p>0.05. Conclusion: Both interventions are equally effective in reducing pain, improving strength and function in sprinters with PFPS which showed that these interventions can be included in the rehabilitation plan of these athletes. Keywords: Knee pain, Runners, Strengthening exercises, Rehabilitation exercises, strength INTRODUCTION According to a report, knee injuries related to sports are mostly due to Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS) which is around 25% affecting almost young population aged between 15- 30 years and it is more common in female (20%) than male (7%) (1). Previous studies have shown that it is the most common orthopedic and musculoskeletal condition in energetic youth, affecting around 26% of sports person. The definition of PFPS according to a disclosure is the discomfort that occurs surrounding the patella and is increased or irritated by activities which involve continuous knee flexion and extension in weight bearing condition that loads the patella. It usually aggravates during activities like running, jumping, squatting and ascending and descending stairs. Its pain is mostly anterior, around & behind the patella with clicking sounds and patellar malalignment. It is usually a result of overuse (2). Patient usually has a feeling of giving away or instability due to quadriceps weakness (3-5) . With appropriate exercise prescription PFPS can be managed efficiently. Exercise prescription is an evidence-based treatment protocol (6-8) . Combinations of conservative treatments such as targeted exercise therapy can be used as an ideal treatment for PFPS which should be based on individualized risk factors identified in each patient (8, 9) . There has been a lot of studies conducted to see the effects of strength training programs including hip and knee on general patients but there is very less literature available on the studies conducted on athletes specifically Sprinters. Moreover, mostly studies include only females to study patellofemoral pain syndrome. The objective of this study is to differentiate the results of resisted exercises program of hip with standardized knee strengthening exercises on pain, muscle strength and function in Sprinters in both genders. Furthermore, findings from this study will definitely help future sports physiotherapists in prescribing specific and effective exercise plan, and this will save energy and time of both therapist and athlete. Additionally, with early management of pain and muscle strength, sprinters will return to their games early.(10) MATERIALS AND METHODS Data was collected from Pakistan Sports Board. It was a single blinded randomized controlled trial which was completed in 6 months. Research & Ethics Committee of Riphah College of Rehabilitation & Allied Health Sciences reviewed the study first and then gave permission for commencing this study. Informed and signed consent was taken in Urdu and English languages from each participant before commencing the study. For this study, the total sample size was 28 which was calculated from means of previous study using Epitool software (9). The sample was randomly divided in to two groups, Control group and Interventional group each group containing 14 subjects. This study recruited both male and female sprinters with the age range of 15- 30 years, people with positive patellar compression test, sprinters having anterior knee pain for least 1 month, muscle strength for quadriceps, hamstring, gluteus Medius and gluteus maximus should be grade 3 on Manual Muscle Testing (MMT), pain increasing during any of the prescribed two activities such as climbing stairs, squatting, jumping, kneeling, running, jogging, and average pain score of 3 or more on Numerical pain rating scale(NPRS). This study excluded any participant with injury to lumber region, hip, knee or ankle, osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, patellar Instability, dislocation or subluxation, meniscal injury, any recent knee surgery (within 2-3 months), patellar tendon pathology & referred pain from spine. On first day before applying intervention, an independent assessor who was unaware about participants’ group allocations evaluated pain on Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) while patient was ascending and descending a 25 cm step, muscle strength through hand held dynamometer by using make test method in which assessor held the dynamometer in hand and patient applied contractions to assessor’s hand holding dynamometer and the function level of knee on AKPS (Anterior Knee Pain Scale) and marked the values. Conventional knee exercises were same for