{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,24]],"date-time":"2026-10-24T01:42:40Z","timestamp":1792806160061,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":75,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,24]],"date-time":"2025-10-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1761264000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Medicina"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background and Objectives: Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is the most prevalent running-related injury due to underlying biomechanical factors, particularly among female runners. Although instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) is a popular therapeutic technique, the optimal application site for the short-and long-term outcomes of PFP has not been well established. This aim of this study was to compare the immediate and short-term (1-week) effects of a single IASTM treatment applied to the hip and knee versus the knee alone on running-related pain. Range of motion (ROM), muscle strength, and functional performance were also assessed to compare change between the two treatment conditions. Materials and Methods: Twenty-eight female runners with PFP were randomly assigned to either the Hip and Knee (HK) group (n = 14) or the knee-only (K) group (n = 14). The HK group received a 7-min IASTM treatment targeting the quadriceps, patella, iliotibial band (ITB), and gluteus medius, whereas the K group received a 3-min treatment targeting the quadriceps and patella. Visual analog scale (VAS), hip adduction ROM, hip abduction\/external rotation strength, and step-down test scores were measured at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and 1 week later. Results: Running-related pain significantly decreased in both groups (main effect of time, p &lt; 0.001) from baseline (HK: 5.49 \u00b1 2.14 [95% CI: 4.78\u20136.68]; K: 5.30 \u00b1 1.45 [95% CI: 4.69\u20135.91]) to week 1 (HK: 1.30 \u00b1 1.08 [95%CI: 0.69\u20131.90]; K: 1.57 \u00b1 1.20 [95%CI: 0.93\u20132.21]). However, no significant difference was found between the groups. Significant improvement was also observed in hip adduction ROM (p &lt; 0.001), hip abduction strength (p = 0.02), step-down pain (p &lt; 0.001), and patellofemoral function (p &lt; 0.001) immediately after the intervention, which was sustained at the 1-week follow-up. However, no significant difference was found between the groups. Also, hip external rotation strength showed no significant change over time or between groups (p = 0.737). Conclusions: A single IASTM session effectively reduced pain and improved function in female runners with PFP. However, the hip treatment did not show a significant additional benefit compared with knee treatment alone. IASTM can provide immediate and short-term relief of pain and functional limitations.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/medicina61111912","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,27]],"date-time":"2025-10-27T02:50:48Z","timestamp":1761533448000},"page":"1912","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["The Immediate Effects of Instrument-Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization on Pain and Function in Female Runners with Patellofemoral Pain"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"61","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-7421-7177","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Seong Chan","family":"Cho","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Graduate School of Sports Medicine, CHA University, Seongnam 13496, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7284-4606","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Young Kyun","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Graduate School of Sports Medicine, CHA University, Seongnam 13496, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Aderem, J., and Louw, Q.A. 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