Association of Patellofemoral Pain with Knee Brace in Kabaddi Players

Abstract

Background: Kabaddi is a customary sport strongly rooted in South-Asian culture that has transformed into a professional contact sport that runs through Asia and beyond. Kabaddi is a sport that combines running, wrestling, agility, and strategic tagging. Players engage in intense physical battles in short spurts. Since kabaddi is a contact sport, players are more likely to get injuries during practice or competition. Objective: to determine the association of patellofemoral pain with knee brace in kabaddi players. Methodology: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted at Malikpur Kabaddi Club and Sidhupura Kabaddi Club, Faisalabad, over a period of four months after obtaining ethical approval from the relevant committee. A total of 197 male kabaddi players were recruited using purposive sampling, with the sample size calculated through Raosoft software at a 95% confidence interval and 5% margin of error. Male players aged 18–40 years were included, while those with a history of knee surgery, ligament injury, fracture, or any chronic or systemic illness were excluded. Data collection was carried out using the Kujala Anterior Knee Pain Scale to assess functional disability associated with patellofemoral pain. The patellar grinding (Clarke’s) test was performed to identify the presence of patellofemoral pain syndrome. All participants provided written informed consent prior to participation, and confidentiality was maintained throughout the study. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethical Review Committee of the University of Faisalabad. Descriptive statistics were used to determine the prevalence of patellofemoral pain, while Pearson’s chi-square test was applied to assess associations between patellofemoral pain, age, disability level, and knee brace usage. Results: Out of 197 kabaddi players, 56 participants (28.4%) tested positive for patellofemoral pain based on the patellar grinding test. Knee brace usage was reported by 23.9% of participants regularly, while 24.9% reported occasional use. A statistically significant association was observed between patellofemoral pain and age, functional disability, and knee brace usage (p<0.05). Participants with positive patellar grinding test results demonstrated higher disability scores compared to those without patellofemoral pain. Conclusion: The study findings concluded that the prevalence of patellofemoral pain syndrome was 28.4% in male kabaddi players.