Strength of hip muscle groups in sedentary women with patellofemoral pain syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the strength of hip muscle groups in sedentary women with bilateral patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) with a matched control group of sedentary women without PFPS. METHODS: Twenty four women between 19 and 23 years of age (PFPS group, n = 12; control group, n = 12) participated in this study. Strength for all 6 hip muscle groups was measured bilaterally in all subjects using a stabilized Hand-held dynamometer. RESULTS: The hip musculature of sedentary women with bilateral PFPS was statistically weaker (range 31%–52%; p < 0.001) than that of the control group for all muscle groups. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated a statistically significant weakness of hip muscle groups in sedentary women with