Towards a meaningful self-management intervention to improve long-term prognosis for adolescents with Patellofemoral Pain

This doctoral thesis consists of 9 papers that were conducted during a period 10 years during my employments at Aarhus University, Aalborg University, Aalborg University Hospital, and the Center for General Practice at Aalborg University. The background of the series of studies was a general lack of knowledge surrounding adolescent Patellofemoral Pain, which hampered evidencebased treatment of this common condition that affects approximately 6-7% of the school-attending adolescents. The aim of this thesis was to provide an overview of adolescent Patellofemoral using a bio-psycho-social perspective, identifying specific management needs for this age group and the prognosis of adolescent PFP.
This doctoral thesis includes one narrative review, one systematic review, one individual participant meta-analysis and six original studies in adolescents with Patellofemoral Pain. The adolescents in these studies were recruited from both school-based populations, physiotherapy clinics and open populations. We used self-reported measures of pain, symptoms, function, and physical activity levels, as well as objective measures of hip and knee function. We also combined this with psychophysical pain assessments.