The clinician should make a general observation for the presence of any predisposing factors, which may include the following:
Gait (walking and running)—inversion/eversion of the hindfoot;
Femoral anteversion or tibial torsion;
Genu varus, genu valgus, or genu recurvatum; and
Foot with pes planus or pronation.
The quality of the knee pain typically varies from dull and achy to sharp and shooting; occasionally, a burning sensation may be noted.
Some activities that frequently trigger symptomatology are stair climbing, uphill running, hiking, deep knee bends, and squatting. The pain is often not noted until completion of the activity. The patient may also complain of pain with prolonged sitting in which the knees are in flexion.
Pain may be related to trauma, most frequently from falls onto the anterior knee or from the impact of the knees on the dashboard in motor vehicle accidents. Most commonly, though, an inciting event cannot be determined.
For more on patellofemoral joint syndrome, read here.
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Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.
Cite this: James W. Pritchett, Craig C. Young. Fast Five Quiz: Can You Answer These Challenging Orthopedic Questions? - Medscape - Mar 14, 2017.
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