PATELLOFEMORAL DISORDERS - A CLASSIFICATION-SYSTEM AND CLINICAL GUIDELINES FOR NONOPERATIVE REHABILITATION

Patellofemoral disorders are among the most common clinical conditions managed in the orthopaedic and sports medicine setting. Nonoperative intervention is typically the initial form of treatment for patellofem oral disorders; however, there is no consensus on the most effective m ethod of treatment. Although numerous treatment options exist for pate llofemoral patients, the indications and contraindications of each app roach have not been well established. Additionally, there is no genera lly accepted classification scheme for patellofemoral disorders. In th is paper,we will discuss a classification system to be used as the fou ndation for developing treatment strategies and interventions in the n onsurgical management of patients with patellofemoral pain and/or dysf unction. The classification system divides the patellofemoral disorder s into eight groups, including: 1) patellar compression syndromes, 2) patellar instability, 3) biomechanical dysfunction, 4) direct patellar trauma, 5) soft tissue lesions, 6) overuse syndromes, 7) osteochondri tis diseases, and 8) neurologic disorders. Treatment suggestions for e ach of the eight patellofemoral dysfunction categories will be briefly discussed.