Execution
- 1Palpate around the patellar margins and peripatellar tissues for tenderness.
- 2Ask whether stair ascent or descent reproduces the patient's anterior knee pain.
- 3Confirm the symptoms match the patient's familiar retropatellar or peripatellar pain.
- 4Count the cluster positive when both palpation tenderness and stair pain are present.
- 5Screen for alternative causes such as tendon pain, instability, effusion, and meniscus signs.
Positive outcome
The cluster is positive when peripatellar palpation tenderness and stair pain are both present. It supports patellofemoral pain syndrome rather than a specific patellar cartilage diagnosis. It should be interpreted with age, training load, and differential diagnosis.
Studies
| Study | Reliability | Sn | Sp | LR+ | LR− |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cook et al. (2010) | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Cook et al. (2012) | systematic review | NA | NA | NA | NA |
CommentCook's PFPS clusters perform better than individual tests but are still not definitive. Cluster labels vary across summaries, so this file uses the user-supplied palpation plus stair pain mapping. Value is high because it is a validated cluster framework, not because each item is specific.
High Clinical Value