The effects of running retraining and running kinematic modification on pain and function in runners with patellofemoral pain. Systematic review.

Running is becoming more and more popular, but it is not risk-free. The most related injury is the patellofemoral pain (PFP). The concept of running retraining to treat lower limb injuries was introduced and it showed that gait modification can reduce the load on the knee joint and the injury risk. Despite the increasing popularity of this approach, the effects of gait retraining in pain and function in PFP runners are still unclear. Cochrane, PubMed and Pedro investigated from July 2018 to March 2019. Two independent reviewers assessed each paper for inclusion and quality thanks to the modified Downs and Black index. The results showed that gait pattern modification may be a beneficial treatment. Using gait retraining rather than strengthening program may be more advantageous. The lack of follow-up in the studies using strengthening program regarding those using gait retraining may not allow us to affirm that strengthening program is a long-term treatment to change the running pattern and improve the function. Gait retraining presented clinical benefits on pain and function. More studies on the subject are needed to compare which technique has the biggest impact.