Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

In Canada, arthritis is the highest cause of disability in women, second in men, and total annual cost estimates approach $33 billion. Osteoarthritis (OA - joint 'wear and tear') is the most common, and knee OA affects almost 40% of North Americans, 1/3 of whom are symptomatic. Although often considered 'one joint', the knee actually consists of 3 joints, or 'compartments' and one of them is the one between the patella (kneecap) and the femur (thigh). This is the 'patellofemoral joint' (PFJ). Until recently, research and medical care has focused on the other two compartments, the inner and outer 'tibiofemoral joints' between the femur and the tibia (shin bone). However, the PFJ is gaining recognition. Almost 70% of adults over 50 who report knee pain have evidence of knee OA on X-ray, and in the vast majority (up to 94%) it involves the PFJ. In addition, PFJ OA is more highly associated with pain severity and disability than the tibiofemoral joint. The presence of PFJ OA even predicts future occurrence of OA of the entire knee. Therefore, this joint behind the kneecap is more common and clinically important than previously recognized. My proposed study will investigate a novel physiotherapy program aimed to improve pain and function in people living with PFJ OA. The program is non-invasive (i.e. no surgery or medication) and consists of 6 months of specifically targeted exercises and therapeutic taping led by a qualified physiotherapist. The results will contribute to developing new and cost-effective strategies for treating knee OA that will improve quality of life for individuals living with knee OA and can be easily adopted within our current health care delivery model. Through this research, I aim to develop ways of improving symptoms and informing future research aimed at slowing/halting the progression of this disabling disease, thus improving health and wellness for Canadians.