Discussion
weakness, pain
This is the first large-scale study unraveling the association between physical test results and change in a patient-reported outcome in athletes with PT. We found that none of the baseline physical test results were identified as a prognostic factor on clinical outcome after exercise treatment. Specifically, baseline differences in lower limb muscle strength, flexibility, jump performance, and pain level during pain-provoking tests were not associated with an improvement in VISA-P score over 24 weeks. In addition, for athletes receiving exercise therapy over time, we observed a significant but small increase in isometric muscle strength of quadriceps and hip abductors, lower limb flexibility, and decreased pain level during provocation tests. Furthermore, a decreased VAS-SLS was associated with an increase in VISA-P, while there was a lack of statistical significance after multiple testing corrections. Other physical test changes after exercise treatment were not associated with the change in patient-reported outcomes after 24 weeks.These findings are essential because prognostic factors for predicting clinical outcomes after exercise treatment for PT are lacking. In previous studies, some physical test results have been identified as risk factors for developing PT. These include weakness in quadriceps and hip abductor strength; reduced quadriceps, hamstrings, and ankle flexibility; and greater vertical jump performance.