Anterior knee pain can occur in your elite sports patients right through to office workers and weekend warriors. In this podcast with Kurt Lisle, we discuss anterior knee pain, the causes, how to diagnose the source of the pain, and the best ways to treat and rehabilitate these patients.

Kurt Lisle is the Australian Socceroos Physio and co-owner of The Knee Joint Physio in Queensland. Kurt and I discussed acute knee injuries on the Physio Edge podcast in episode 29, and I really wanted to get Kurt back on the podcast to discuss the anterior knee.

In this fantastic, detailed episode of the Physio Edge podcast, Kurt and I explore:

Subjective clues that give you ideas about differential diagnosis
Fat pad - location of pain, activities that irritate
Patellofemoral joint - aggravating activities and DDx
Patellar tendon - subjective clues, location of pain
Objective examination of the anterior knee
Tests for PFJ
Functional tests first or examination on the treatment table?
Palpation of the anterior knee
Fat pad palpation and tests
Is the fat pad tender medial and laterally, or can it be tender only on one aspect
Neuromuscular patterning
Squat and one leg squat examination
What causes “catching” pain on movement
Chondral defects - identifying
Is there value in the grind test
When to refer for MRI and other imaging
Important factors that may contribute to AKP
Gait contributors to AKP
Treatment of PFJ pain
Modifying PFJ aggravating activities
Using EMG
Quadricep rehabilitation and strengthening
When to incorporate squats into your rehabilitation program
The role of taping for PFJ or fat pad irritation
Red flags causing knee pain

Links of Interest

033. How to treat anterior knee pain with Kurt Lisle