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Neuroanatomical Bases for Anterior Knee Pain in the Young Patient: “Neural Model”

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Anterior Knee Pain and Patellar Instability

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Conclusions

The observations reported here provide a neuroanatomic basis for anterior knee pain syndrome in the young patient and support the clinical observation that the lateral retinaculum may have a key role in the origin of this pain. Our findings, however, do not preclude the possibility of pain arising in other anatomical structures.

We hypothesize that periodic short episodes of ischemia could be implicated in the pathogenesis of anterior knee pain by triggering neural proliferation of nociceptive axons (SP positive nerves), mainly in a perivascular location. Moreover, we believe that instability in patients with anterior knee pain syndrome can be explained, at least in part, because of the damage of nerves of the lateral retinaculum that can be related with proprioception.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedics, Hospital Arnau de Vilanova, Valencia, Spain

    Vicente Sanchis-Alfonso MD, PhD (Member of the International Patellofemoral Study Group)

  2. Department of Pathology, Hospital Universitario Dr. Peset, Valencia, Spain

    Esther Roselló-Sastre MD, PhD (Pathologist)

  3. Patología Molecular, Fundación Valenciana de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Valencia, Spain

    Juan Saus-Mas & Fernando Revert-Ros

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  1. Vicente Sanchis-Alfonso MD, PhD
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  2. Esther Roselló-Sastre MD, PhD
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hospital Arnau de Vilanova, Valencia, Spain

    Vicente Sanchis-Alfonso MD, PhD (Member of the International Patellofemoral Study Group/Member of the ACL Study Group) (Member of the International Patellofemoral Study Group/Member of the ACL Study Group)

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Sanchis-Alfonso, V., Roselló-Sastre, E., Saus-Mas, J., Revert-Ros, F. (2006). Neuroanatomical Bases for Anterior Knee Pain in the Young Patient: “Neural Model”. In: Sanchis-Alfonso, V. (eds) Anterior Knee Pain and Patellar Instability. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-84628-143-1_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-84628-143-1_3

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