Pain During Prolonged Sitting Is a Common Problem in Persons With Patellofemoral Pain.

Natalie J Collins, Bill Vicenzino, Rianne A van der Heijden, Marienke van Middelkoop

Study Design Retrospective cohort. Background Although persons with PFP often report pain with prolonged sitting, little is known about the prevalence and characteristics of sitting pain. Objectives To describe the proportion of persons with patellofemoral pain (PFP) that experience problems with prolonged sitting and to determine patient characteristics associated with sitting pain. Methods 458 participants with a diagnosis of PFP from 4 separate studies were included. Item 8 of the Anterior Knee Pain Scale (AKPS) was used to define the presence of problems with prolonged sitting with knee flexion based on 3 categories: (1) "no difficulty"; (2) "pain after exercise"; or (3) problem with prolonged sitting. Differences in demographic and clinical variables between categories were evaluated using Kruskal-Wallis tests (p>0.05). Results 249 (54.4%) of study participants reported problems with prolonged sitting, while 121 (26.4%) reported sitting pain after exercise. Compared to those with no difficulty sitting (n=88), participants classified as having problems with prolonged sitting were significantly younger (p=0.038); more likely to be female (p=0.033); had a lower BMI (p=0.027); reported higher pain severity (p<0.001) and lower AKPS score (p<0.001); and more frequently reported problems with squatting (p<0.001). Conclusion Problems with prolonged sitting are evident in more than half of persons with PFP. Findings highlight the need to identify and adequately manage PFP associated with prolonged sitting. Further research should explore mechanisms of sitting pain and evaluate targeted interventions to reduce PFP with prolonged sitting. Level of Evidence Symptom prevalence study; Level 2b. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther, Epub 3 Jul 2016. doi:10.2519/jospt.2016.6470.