Movement pattern retraining for individuals with patellofemoral pain is receiving growing attention in research and clinical practice, and has been recommended by international experts.
In this section, you will find information about how to implement this technique in clinical practice.
Mirror gait retraining is an effective treatment to reduce abnormal mechanics during running. Interestingly, this new movement skill may be transferred to the untrained tasks as single leg squat and step down. Reflecting these changes in dynamic alignment, measures of pain and function also improve.
How to perform:
Feedback should be gradually removed during the final training sessions to shift dependence from external to internal cues and reinforce learning
This is accomplished by decremental reductions in verbal cueing in addition to reductions in visual feedback by turning the mirror around so that patients can not see themselves while running. During each period of feedback removal, running mechanics should be monitored via a standard video stream that is only visible to the therapist. Once feedback is resumed, patients should receive retrospective verbal cueing on their running mechanics during the preceding feedback removal period.