Patellofemoral syndrome

Written by Dr Sheila Strover on March 14, 2025

Patellofemoral syndrome is pain experienced around the kneecap and which may be caused by a combination of several possible factors.

Illustration of the patellofemoral joint.

An illustration showing an oblique view of the knee joint, particularly illustrating how the patella snugs into its underlying groove on the femur.

What is a Syndrome?

A syndrome is a collection of related symptoms.

Such a collection of symptoms may be due to a variety of causes.

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Patellofemoral Syndrome

In patellofemoral syndrome the pain is felt in the region of the kneecap, but the root cause may be elsewhere, causing an imbalance of forces that affect kneecap tracking - it is important that the clinician tries to identify what is causing the pain.

A common cause is knock knees (dynamic valgus) with flat feet.

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A-Z Keywords

Anterior knee pain, PFS, PFPS, Patellofemoral pain

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