INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Many instruments have been proposed for the knee assessment, making its choice often difficult. Among these instruments, we can mention the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOS) and the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) scales; however, it is unclear which of them would be better to evaluate the knee of subjects with patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS). The objective of this study was to compare the KOS and IKDC scales evaluation to verify which of them would be more appropriate to identify impairment in patients with PFPS. METHODS: The study included 31 PFPS subjects, aged between 18 and 39 years (24.29 ± 4.09); 27 subjects were female and 4 were male. All subjects were submitted to KOS and IKDC scales on the two occasions. The second application served as reliability evidence (PCKOS and PCIKDC).The analysis of statistical correlation between the scales was done with the Spearman and Wilcoxon tests, considering significant p < 0.05. RESULTS: The Spearman correlation test presented strong correlation between KOS and PCKOS (r = 0.99, p < 0.001) and IKDC and PCIKDC (r = 0.96, p < 0.001). There was a weak correlation between KOS and IKDC (r = 0.46, p < 0.01) and PCKOS and PCIKDC (r = 0.55, p < 0.002). The Wilcoxon test revealed differences between KOS and IKDC (p < 0.001) and between PCKOS and PCIKDC (p < 0.001). There was equality between KOS and PCKOS (p > 0.10) and difference between IKDC and PCIKDC (p < 0.02). CONCLUSION: The KOS and IKDC scales were reliable during the application in patients with PFPS, where the KOS received greater reliability when compared to the IKDC.
knee joint; scales; activity of daily living
