Evaluating the Effectiveness of Clinical Practice Guideline Adherence for Patellofemoral Pain (knEE-CAPP)
Sara Gorczynski, PT, DPT
Summary
The overall goal of this multisite, randomized clinical trial is to evaluate the short- and long-term effectiveness of a Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG)-adherent physical therapy approach to patellofemoral pain (PFP) management among military Service members. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Can a CPG-adherent care approach to PFP management improve short- and long-term knee function, pain, and confidence with completing duty-related activities? 2. Can a CPG-adherent care approach to PFP management reduce utilization of healthcare resources and analgesic medication prescription at 12-month follow-up? 3. Are there patient- and care-specific factors that predict or mediate clinical benefit from physical therapy care for PFP? Researchers will compare the CPG-adherent physical therapy intervention to usual physical therapy care in the Military Health System. Participants will: 1) be randomized to receive CPG-adherent care or usual care for PFP management; 2) attend physical therapy corresponding to their group assignment; and 3) complete patient-reported outcome measures at baseline and 6-weeks and 3-, 6-, and 12-months post-randomization.
Description
Knee injuries are among the most common musculoskeletal injuries affecting military personnel, accounting for 22% of limited duty profiles and an average of 53 limited duty days per injury in 2017 alone. Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is the most prevalent knee injury affecting Service members but has historically been considered an innocuous and self-limiting condition despite its high rate of persistence. Physical therapy is often the first line-of-defense for PFP management. Published data support the notion that adherence to evidence-based Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) improves outcomes 1)…