Introduction: Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders affecting the knee joint. Conservative treatment reduces pain and improves functional capacity in the short and medium-term.Objective: To determine the therapeutic effect of two muscle strengthening exercise programs in patients with PFPS from Bogotá, Colombia, aged between 15 and 40 years.Materials and methods: Experimental randomized controlled clinical trial conducted in 40 patients with PFPS from Bogotá, Colombia, aged 15-40 years, with a mild to moderate level of physical activity. Participants were randomly distributed into 2 intervention groups: Group A: 8-week-long core, hip and knee muscles strengthening exercises program; Group B: 8-week-long hip and knee muscles strengthening exercises program. The level of pain was measured using the Visual Analog Scale and the Kujala Anterior Knee Pain Scale.Results: The addition of core muscle strengthening exercises to the traditional treatment improved the quality of life of participants in the intervention group A, where a significant reduction of pain, with a statistically significant difference in the total score of the Kujala scale (p=0.025), was observed.Conclusions: Including core muscle strengthening exercises in the conservative management of PFPS increases its effectiveness to reduce pain and improve the quality of life of these patients.