The outcome of a novel biomechanical therapy for patients suffering from anterior knee pain

article i nfo Background: Thisstudywas devisedtoexamine theeffect of a novel biomechanicaltherapyforpatientssuffering from anterior knee pain (AKP). Methods: A retrospective analysis of 48 patients suffering from AKP was performed. Patients underwent a gait evaluation, using an electronic walkway mat, and completed the SF-36 health survey and the WOMAC questionnaire at baseline and after 3 and 6 months of therapy. A special biomechanical device was individually calibrated for each patient. AposTherapy is a functional, non-invasive rehabilitation ther- apy consisting of a biomechanical foot-worn device that is used during activities of daily living. Repeated measures analyses were performed to compare gait parameters and self-evaluation questionnaires between baseline, 3 months and 6 months. Results: Walking velocity significantly increased by 5.7 cm/s, cadence increased by 1.6 steps/minute, and stride lengthincreasedby3.4 cminrelationtopretreatmenttesting(pb0.001 for all). End-point evaluation revealed ad- ditional improvement of these parameters; however these did not significantlydifferfrom that of mid-treatment. Pain decreased by 36.6% and 49.2% following 13 and 26 weeks of treatment, respectively (Pb0.01) and function improved by 25.2% and 41.7% following 13 and 26 weeks of treatment, respectively (P=0.01). Conclusions: Based on the current study's results it may be concluded that this therapy might have a positive ef- fect for patients with AKP.