Prevalence of anterior knee pain and pes planus in Israel defense force recruits.

This study examined the prevalence of anterior knee pain (AKP) and pes planus (PP) in Israeli defense force recruits and assessed the relationship between these conditions. We examined the medical records of 97,279 recruits--18,338 females and 78,941 males. The prevalence of AKP was 4.15%. It was lower in females (2.39%) than in males (4.56%). The prevalence of flexible and rigid PP were 15.30% and 0.83%, respectively. The prevalence of both conditions was lower in females (11.31% and 0.34%) than in males (16.23% and 0.94%). AKP was more prevalent in individuals with flexible PP (4.50%) than with normal feet (4.06%) and more prevalent in individuals with rigid PP (6.93%) than in individuals with flexible PP. Despite current opinion, AKP is more common in males than in females. The role of orthotics in individuals with AKP and PP should be more thoroughly investigated.