Muscular, postural and emotional factors are associated with Y-balance test performance in female with patellofemoral pain?

BACKGROUND

Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is characterized by persistent intermittent pain in the anterior region of the knee, typically affecting young women during functional activities. The purpose of this study was to investigate associations between performance in the Y-Balance Test (YBT) and the strength of the stabilizing musculature of the hip and knee, postural balance, and emotional aspects of volunteers with PFP.

METHODS

Evaluation was made of 50 physically active women with PFP, aged from 18 to 30 years. Assessments were made of the isometric strengths of the following muscles: knee extensors (KExt), hip abductors (HAbd), hip lateral rotators (HLR), and hip extensors (HExt). During the YBT, postural sway was evaluated using a force platform. The Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) tool was used to assess perceived pain, functionality, and emotional aspects, employing the Anterior Knee Pain Scale (AKPS), the Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome Severity Scale (PSS), and the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS). Multivariate linear regression was used to determine the relations between performance in the YBT and the variables muscle strength, postural sway, and PROMs.

RESULTS

The regression analysis revealed moderate to strong associations between YBT performance and the isometric strength of the posterolateral hip muscles (β = 0.43, p = 0.02), as well as between YBT performance and postural sway and total posteromedial displacement in the YBT (β = 0.59, p = 0.002).

CONCLUSIONS

In individuals with PFP, performance in the YBT showed associations with the isometric strength of the posterolateral hip musculature and total posteromedial displacement.