PATELLOFEMORAL OSTEOARTHRITIS:AN IMPORTANT SUBGROUP OF KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS

Abstract

Relevance. Osteoarthritis (OA) is an urgent problem of modern medicine, which is confirmed by a
steady increase in the incidence, economic costs of treatment and disability of patients. Since the knee
joint is three-component, the radiological manifestations of the disease are numerous. The
patellofemoral joint (PFJ) is one of the most frequently affected parts. Although PFJ OA is observed
frequently, this particular subgroup of diseases is largely unrecognized. Recent studies show that PFJ is
not only an important source of OA knee arthritis symptoms, but people suffering from PFJ OA show
signs of illness that are different from those observed with OA of the tibiofemoral joint (TFJ) of the
femur-femoral joint. This is important for the assessment and treatment of patients with PFJ OA.
The purpose of this review is to summarize the evidence that suggests why PFJ OA should be
considered as a separate clinical unit and the main methods of treatment using conservative, nonpharmacological approaches to treatment.
Search strategy. Literary search of the electronic databases PubMed / Scopus / MEDLINE,
covering the last three decades for the keywords: patellofemoral joint, osteoarthritis, tybiofemoral joint,
patellofemoral pain syndrome, was carried out.
Inclusion criteria included available fulltext original papers published since 1987, diagnosis of primary
osteoarthritis;
Exclusion criteria consisted of acute concurrent knee diagnoses (anterior cruciate ligament rupture,
patella tendon rupture), case reports, articles on another than English foreign languages.
83 articles were found for the period of study.
Results. Osteoarthritis of the knee joint imposes a significant burden on people suffering from this
condition and society as a whole. Despite the fact that osteoarthritis of PFJ is not sufficiently studied in
comparison with osteoarthritis of TFJ, PFJ is often involved in the disease process. PFJ OA is
associated with significant pain and disability. Clinical results of PFJ OA can be improved by developing
new treatments, taking into account the unique biomechanical functions of PFJ and specific disorders
associated with the disease in this department of the knee, which are different from those associated
with TFJ OA.
Conclusion. Patellofemoral osteoarthritis is an important subgroup of osteoarthritis of the knee joint.
Interventions such as kneecap fixation and physiotherapy can alleviate pain in people with this
condition, but do not eliminate pathophysiological causes. It is necessary to develop new methods of
surgical intervention.