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Background and Objectives: Vertical ground reaction force (Vertical ground reaction force; VGRF) is a kinetic variable that plays an important role in developing patellofemoral pain (Patellofemoral pain; PFP). This clinical trial aimed to determine the effect of hip and knee strengthening exercises along with gait retraining on VGRF and loading rate in women with PFP while walking. Materials and Methods: In this clinical trial, 40 women with PFP were enrolled and randomly assigned to experimental (n=20) and control groups (n=20). In the experimental group, the patients received the relevant intervention for 8 weeks. The patients in the control group did not receive any intervention. Pain intensity, fear of movement, quadriceps muscle strength, hip abductor, hip extensor, VGRF components, and loading rate were the variables of this research which were evaluated in pre-test and post-test. Data was analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). Results: The results showed that there was a significant effect in the experimental group compared to the control group in pain intensity, fear of movement, quadriceps muscle strength, hip abductor muscle strength, hip extensor muscle strength, first force peak, valley, second force peak, and loading rate (p<0.001). Conclusion: It appears that 8 weeks of hip and knee muscle strengthening exercises along with gait retraining can decrease pain intensity and fear of movement and increase muscle strength, and subsequently the first and second peak forces increase and the loading rate and valley decrease. It is recommended to combine strengthening exercises with movement pattern retraining to obtain better clinical results in the rehabilitation of women with PFP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farmers may be at a higher risk of developing hip osteoarthritis (OA) due to the high demands of their occupation. To the authors' knowledge, the gait patterns of farmers that may be associated with hip joint degeneration have yet to be analyzed. Therefore, this study compares gait mechanics between farmers and non-farmers (controls). It is hypothesized that farmers would exhibit altered lower extremity joint mechanics during walking when compared to matched controls. This exploratory study included five farmers and five sex-, age-, and body mass index (BMI)-matched controls. A 3D gait analysis was performed while study participants walked at a self-selected speed on an instrumented treadmill. Sagittal plane hip, knee, and ankle kinetics and kinematics were assessed. Effect sizes and between-group differences in demographics and gait mechanics were assessed. There were no group differences in walking speed, total stance time as well as hip and knee joint kinematics ( p  > 0.05). Farmers exhibited statistical trends ( p  = 0.07-0.08) of lower peak ankle plantarflexion angles, higher plantarflexor moments, higher knee flexion moment impulse, and higher peak vertical ground reaction force during the first and second halves of stance. Additionally, farmers ambulated with a significantly higher knee extensor moment ( p  = 0.04) and moment impulse ( p  = 0.05) during the first half of stance and a higher ankle plantarflexion moment impulse ( p  = 0.04). The results demonstrate a multi-joint gait alteration in farmers compared to non-farmers and may suggest a compensatory gait pattern to optimize hip joint mechanics and mitigate hip joint degeneration. These results provide a preliminary understanding of the impact that agricultural occupations have on joint mechanics that may be associated with the increased prevalence of hip OA in the farming population.