A 20-year bibliometric analysis of patellofemoral pain syndrome

Background: Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is one of the most common and clinically challenging knee disorders and has become a hotspot in orthopedics, sports science, and rehabilitation. The pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of PFPS remain controversial. Global academic studies in PFPS continue to grow, with a steady increase in related research. Although most articles consist of clinical studies or systematic literature reviews, analyses of research hotspots remain limited. This study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the current status and research hotspots in PFPS, offering insights for future research and practical applications. Methods: Publications related to PFPS from 2005 to 2025 were collected from the Web of Science Core Collection database. Data were analyzed and visualized through scientific quantitative and qualitative methods using Microsoft Excel, SPSS Statistics 27, Tableau, CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and Scimago Graphica. Results: A total of 1022 papers were identified. The United States contributed the most publications (333 articles). The annual number of publications and average citation counts showed an overall increasing trend, with the highest number of articles published in 2022. The article with the highest number of citations was “Patellofemoral pain” written by Willy, RW in 2019, with 182 citations. The International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy was the journal that published the most articles on this topic. The University System of Ohio was the most productive institution, and Rathleff, MS was the most published author. Collaborative network analysis showed strong cooperation among researchers from leading countries and institutions. Research hotspots include knee, kinematics, anterior knee pain, hip, biomechanics, reliability, pain, osteoarthritis, strength, and females. The increase in keyword citations appears to be shifting toward clinical applications, including terms such as randomized controlled trials, therapy, and patterns. Conclusion: Our research has found that the number of PFPS publications and citations has increased significantly since 2019, indicating that the field is moving toward greater complexity. The emerging keywords, such as randomized controlled trial, therapy, and patterns, highlight the shift toward clinical application in this field. This study provides new ideas for scholars and is conducive to further exploration of research directions in this field.