Prevalence of Anterior Knee Pain and Its Association with Quadriceps Weakness and Hamstring Tightness in Software Engineers

Background: The consequence of hamstring tightness is its impact on the knee joint, specifically the patella. This may cause injury to the tendon covering the patellar bone and patellofemoral pain syndrome. Objective: To find the prevalence of anterior knee pain among software engineers and its association with quadriceps weakness and hamstring tightness. Methodology: In this cross-sectional study, 151 participants were recruited based on the eligibility criteria. After obtaining informed consent, each participant was asked whether they had recently experienced pain in the anterior region of the knee. If they reported pain, they were asked to fill out the Kujala questionnaire, and their quadriceps strength and hamstring flexibility were assessed using manual muscle testing and the active knee extension test, respectively. If they did not report it, only quadriceps strength and hamstring flexibility were assessed, skipping the Kujala questionnaire. Statistical analysis was applied to the data using categorised scales for hamstring tightness or the active knee extension test. Additionally, demographic and work-related data, including age, years of work experience, and daily sitting duration, were recorded. Qualitative variables were presented as frequencies and percentages. The chi-square test was used to assess the association between anterior knee pain and hamstring flexibility. Results: Anterior knee pain was reported by 45 participants out of 151 participants recruited. However, quadriceps weakness and hamstring tightness were common among all participants with or without symptoms. A vast majority of individuals (78%) recruited, regardless of the presence of symptoms, on examination, demonstrated slight weakness of the quadriceps, while only about 22% showed normal quadriceps strength. Additionally, moderate hamstring tightness was the most commonly observed finding, present in approximately 60% of cases. Mild tightness was noted in about 19%, while severe tightness was seen in around 20% of the total sample, reflecting a notable prevalence of reduced flexibility across participants. Conclusion: Although a direct association between quadriceps weakness and anterior knee pain or hamstring tightness and anterior knee pain was found through this study, both of these deficits were equally prevalent in participants with no pain, which implies that these factors may not independently predict the presence of pain.