ABSTRACT
Taekwondo is one of the active and exciting martial arts, during competitions about 90 percent of stricks are executed by feet and through powerful, tiny and fast movements, knee bending and straightening in different angle of hip joint movements. Meanwhile during raising lower limb, it is probable direct hits to ones thigh and knee. in the other hands, there are too complaints about anterior knee pains among athletes in clinics. Therefore this make a question in mind: Is there any relationship between knees severes activities in this sport and patellofemoral pain syndrome. The aim of this study is to answer to this question. In this study, 30 professional male-taekwondo athletes from north of Khuzestan were selected separately according to inclusion and exclusion criteria after preliminary assessments by orthopedist and physiotherapist. Raw data about causes of patellofemoral pain syndrome and functional tests and physical measurements [thigh, knee and ankle joint,etc] were collected. Similar data collected from a thirty non-athlete, the second group. Collected data from both groups analyzed with SPSS package. The following results were obtained after comparing the two groups initial left and right knees measurements.1. Athletes right knees patellofemoral joints assessment score [karlsson questionnaire score] was considerably lower than the nonathlete ones. [P=0/039] 2. There were no considerable differences in two legs Q-angle between two groups during sitting or standing conditions.3. There were no considerable differences in measures obtained from knee functional tests between two groups.4. There were no considerable differences in thigh circumferential size in different distances from knee joint line between two groups. Low score obtained from karlsson questionnaire for taekwondo athletes right foot v.s non-athletes is an evidence for existence of more prepared factors for P.F.P.S. some of these factors are:1. Tightness of muscles and soft tissue. 2. Lack of muscular efficiency [partial weakness] than overpressure knees in taekwondo. 3. Increased Q-angle