Category Archives: patellar alignment and tracking

Am I wrong? I survey some recent patellofemoral pain science in search of embarrassment

By Paul Ingraham | Published: July 6, 2010
Recently a reader wrote to me to point out that, in his opinion, recent scientific evidence has begun to support the “conventional wisdom” about chronic anterior knee pain (a.k.a. patellofemoral pain syndrome, or PFPS). That would make my e-book on the topic look bad. I pretty much roll my eyes at the conventional wisdom from [...]
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More hip weakness hype

By Paul Ingraham | Published: April 12, 2010
Are weak hips a major factor in running injuries like IT band syndrome? It’s unlikely, despite the gushing of running magazines over the theory. From time to time I like to point out that hype about hip strengthening — it will save your knees, it will find your lost socks! — continues unabated in the absence [...]
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Is your IT band really too tight? Or is that just your craving for an elegantly oversimplified biomechanical explanation for pain?

By Paul Ingraham | Published: November 23, 2009
Tight IT bands have a really bad reputation. They are blamed for two common knee conditions: the aptly named “IT band syndrome” (ITBS, pain on the side of the knee) and the less obviously relevant “patellofemoral pain syndrome” (PFPS, anterior pain). But do people with these conditions really have tight IT bands? This has been [...]
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Therapists cannot agree on the location of people’s kneecaps!

By Paul Ingraham | Published: November 20, 2009
Considering kneecap alignment is a reflex for most manual therapists — a staple of knee pain diagnosis, as inevitable as a doctor asking you to say “ah.” Kneecap alignment is almost universally regarded as a sign of patellofemoral pain syndrome and patellar instability and accurate assessment of knee position is essential for meaningful taping (a [...]
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