2026-10-10T09:48:16Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/33903341 2026-09-17T17:23:51Z category_7 category_21 category_734 portal_5 item_type_3 month_year_09_2026

<p>Changes in Q-angle (degrees) from baseline.</p> Donghuan Bai (24541617) Xiaodong Cao (1422610) Shuolei Feng (25037318) Medicine Biotechnology Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified 100 mm ), patellofemoral pain syndrome hip stability training 0 &# 8211 190 ), vas xlink "> hip xlink "> 302 ), standard care marathon runners linear mixed hoc comparisons groups improved eligibility criteria control ). clinical relevance adjusted post 94 runners 317 ). 312 met 001 ), <div> <p>Objective</p><p>Hip stability training may influence the quadriceps angle (Q-angle) and pain, but the clinical relevance of static Q-angle changes remains uncertain. This study compared hip stability training with standard care for Q-angle, pain, and function in marathon runners with Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS).</p> <p>Methods</p><p>We identified 487 marathon runners with PFPS, of whom 312 met the eligibility criteria. After 1:1 propensity score matching, 94 runners were retained in each group: hip stability training (Hip-STAB) and standard care (Control). Outcomes were assessed at baseline (W0) and at 4, 8, and 16 weeks (W4, W8, W16). Primary outcomes were standing Q-angle, visual analog scale pain during running (VAS-Run; 0–100 mm), and Anterior Knee Pain Scale (AKPS; 0–100 points).</p> <p>Results</p><p>Both groups improved over 16 weeks. Linear mixed-effects models showed significant time effects for Q-angle, VAS-Run, and AKPS (all p < 0.001), but no significant time-by-group interactions for Q-angle (p = 0.190), VAS-Run (p = 0.302), or AKPS (p = 0.317). Bonferroni-adjusted post-hoc comparisons did not identify significant between-group differences at W16. The association between Q-angle reduction and VAS-Run improvement was significant in the Hip-STAB group (r = 0.35, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.52, p < 0.001) and the Control group (r = 0.44, 95% CI 0.26 to 0.59, p < 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusions</p><p>Hip-STAB and standard care were each associated with improvements in static Q-angle, running pain, and function, but Hip-STAB was not superior to standard care. The correlation between Q-angle and pain changes should be interpreted as an association rather than evidence of a causal biomechanical mechanism.</p></div> 2026-09-17T17:40:18Z Dataset Dataset 10.1371/journal.pone.0357057.t002 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/_p_Changes_in_Q-angle_degrees_from_baseline_p_/33903341 CC BY 4.0