Adding hip or ankle moves to knee exercises eases pain in women with Runner's knee

NCT ID NCT07210060

First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tested whether adding hip or ankle exercises to standard knee strengthening could help women with patellofemoral pain syndrome (anterior knee pain). Forty-five female recreational athletes aged 20-40 completed an 8-week telehealth-supervised program. Both the hip-plus-knee and ankle-plus-knee exercise groups showed similar improvements in pain and movement control compared to a stretching-only group.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance

exercise therapy (knee strengthening plus hip or ankle exercises)

What this could lead to

If confirmed, this could point toward more effective exercise programs for women with anterior knee pain, reducing pain and improving function without surgery or drugs.

What could go wrong

This is a small, completed trial with only 45 participants, all female recreational athletes. Results may not apply to men, non-athletes, or people with different types of knee pain. The study did not test long-term outcomes.

Disclaimer Read more

This is a summary of the original study . Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

patellofemoral pain syndrome

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Nai-Jen Chang

    Tainan, Kaohsiung City, 807, Taiwan