Evaluation of mental imagery ability in people with patellofemoral pain syndrome and its relationship with kinesiophobia

This study aimed to evaluate the ability of imagery in people with patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) and to examine its relationship with kinesiophobia. Twenty-five participants (X±SD, age= 30.3±5.49 years) with a diagnosis of patellofemoral pain syndrome who met the inclusion criteria and 25 asymptomatic participants (X±SD, age= 27.4±2.73 years) were included in the study. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test was administered to measure the cognitive function of the individuals. The imagery abilities of the participants were evaluated by the Motion Imagery Questionnaire-3 (MIQ-3) and the Mental Chronometer Test (MCT). Tampa Kinesiophobia Questionnaire (TKA) was applied to both groups to evaluate their kinesiophobia levels, Kujala Patellofemoral Scoring Questionnaire (KPSA) to determine their functional levels, Visual Analogue Pain Scale (VAS) and Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PAS) tests were applied to determine pain levels. The PFAS group got higher scores in all sub-parameters of MIQ-3 and lower scores from the MCT the than the other group. There was a significant difference between the two groups in all sub-parameters of MIQ-3, and KPSQ, PFS, and VAS scores (p<0.05). In the PFSS group, there was a moderate to strong negative correlation (p<0.05, r:-0.433-0.710) between the TKQ and the results of all sub-parameters of HIA 3, and a moderate positive correlation with MCT results (p<0.05, r:0.519). Similarly, in the same group, a moderate to high correlation was determined between the HIA-3 sub-parameters and MCT which measure imagery abilities, and KPSQ, VAS, and PCS scores (p<0.05, r: 0.451-0.856). Considering that the level of imagery ability is lower in patients with PFSS and its relationship with kinesiophobia, we think that evaluating this parameter and including it in the rehabilitation protocol will have a positive effect on the effectiveness of treatment.