La prise en charge rééducative globale de patients présentant un syndrome fémoro-patellaire : la lutte contre l’effondrement du membre inférieur par le renforcement du moyen fessier

The patellofemoral pain syndrome (PPS) is characterized by anterior knee pain and poor patellar kinetics. In this review, we focus on primary PPS. Several local factors are known to provoke knee pain (subchondral bony disorders, retraction of the lateral retinaculum, inflammation of the infrapatellar adipose pad). Furthermore, proximal factors involving the hip and pelvis as well as distal factors involving the ankle and foot explain the impact on lower limb mechanics, for instance on single-stance squat. In the 1980s, the gold standard management strategy for PPS was to strengthen the vastus medialis in order to counter lateral subluxation of the patella during knee flexion. More recently, with improved techniques for neuromuscular biomechanical investigations, several publications propose reinforcing the hip abductor muscles for PPS. This offers a more global approach by correcting the posture of the entire lower limb to provide relief from this difficult-to-treat complex syndrome. Strengthening the hip abductors (gluteus medius) appears to be the best way to eliminate the single-stance lower limb postural failure leading to several musculoskeletal disorders. This new approach to rehabilitation is a validated evidence-based therapeutic strategy.