The association between kinesiophobia and dynamic balance in patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome

- OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between Kinesiophobia and dynamic balance in patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS).SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Forty subjects with PFPS [20 Low Kinesiophobia (LK), 20 High Kinesiophobia (HK)], and 20 pain-free subjects (control group) were enrolled in the study. All subjects performed a Y-balance test to measure the dynamic balance. Normalized reach distance and balance parameters were recorded. RESULTS: Our findings indicated that patients with PFPS who have a greater Kinesiophobia showed a poorer dynamic balance. In addition, the HK group showed a significantly lower mean reach distance score in the anterior, posterolat-eral, and posteromedial directions compared to LK and healthy groups.CONCLUSIONS: Addressing the psychologi-cal factors such as Kinesiophobia during exam-ination and treatment of people with PFPS may be important to improve the dynamic balance.