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April 5, 2026Open Access

Effects of telerehabilitation on pain and physical function in patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Key Points

To evaluate the effectiveness of telerehabilitation on pain, physical function, and psychological status in patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome.
Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Data extracted from multiple medical databases
Bias risk assessed independently by two researchers
Meta-analyses conducted with RevMan 5.3 and StataMP 16
Telerehabilitation significantly reduced PFPS-related pain with an SMD of -0.85
Improved functional scores measured by KUJALA/AKPS with an MD of 13.11
Increased knee flexion angle with an MD of 5.68
No significant differences in psychological scores such as TSK and PCS.

Abstract

Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is a prevalent knee injury impairing daily life, yet conventional rehabilitation suffers from poor long-term adherence due to time and space constraints. Telerehabilitation has exhibited benefits in other disorders, but its efficacy for PFPS lacks systematic evaluation. To assess the impacts of telerehabilitation on pain, physical function and psychological status in PFPS patients. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) published up to 17 September 2025 were retrieved from SinoMed, CNKI, WanFang, VIP, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and The Cochrane Library. Two researchers independently screened studies, extracted data and evaluated bias risk. Meta-analyses were conducted via RevMan 5.3 and StataMP 16, with continuous outcomes presented as Mean Difference (MD), Standard Mean Difference (SMD) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CI). Seven RCTs involving 531 patients were included. Meta-analysis indicated that, versus conventional therapy, telerehabilitation more effectively relieved PFPS-related pain (SMD = −0.85, 95% CI = −1.21 ~ −0.5, P 0.05). Telerehabilitation can alleviate pain and improve physical function in patients with PFPS, which confers certain clinical value, particularly in improving access to rehabilitation services. Its impact on psychological status remains inconclusive. Future research should conduct more high-quality, large-sample studies with long-term follow-up and explore their potential in psychological and behavioural interventions. • Telerehabilitation can alleviate the pain of patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome. • Telerehabilitation can improve the knee function of patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome. • Telerehabilitation may be more suitable for early intervention or maintenance therapy in PFPS. • Simple exercise guidance may not effectively change patients' deep-seated fears and catastrophic thinking.

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