This article has the aim to show how consulting the scientific literature provides an important help in identifying the incidence, severity, etiology, and mechanism of injury regarding the onset of patellofemoral pain. The study of risk factors is a fundamental step to understand the most effective preventive strategies. The patellofemoral pain is characterized by widespread symptoms in the retropatellar or peripatellar area that worsen during activities mostly involving the patellofemoral joint such as running, jumping, climbing, descending stairs or squatting. There is strong evidence that overload, reduced strength of both knee extension and hip abduction (particularly in adolescents) are risk factors for patellofemoral pain.
Further investigations are needed due to the disabling and widespread nature of this injury. The patellofemoral pain often affects the population under 50 years with a significant persistence of symptoms over time (even two or more years). This makes even more significant and urgent to intervene on the prevention of this pathology, as it can affect long-term health and consequently the quality of life.