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Comparative Study
. 2008 Jan-Mar;43(1):21-8.
doi: 10.4085/1062-6050-43.1.21.

Patellar taping, patellofemoral pain syndrome, lower extremity kinematics, and dynamic postural control

Naoko Aminaka  1 , Phillip A Gribble
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Patellar taping, patellofemoral pain syndrome, lower extremity kinematics, and dynamic postural control

Naoko Aminaka et al. J Athl Train. 2008 Jan-Mar.

Abstract

Context: Patellar taping has been a part of intervention for treatment of patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS). However, research on the efficacy of patellar taping on lower extremity kinematics and dynamic postural control is limited.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of patellar taping on sagittal-plane hip and knee kinematics, reach distance, and perceived pain level during the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) in individuals with and without PFPS.

Design: Repeated-measures design with 2 within-subjects factors and 1 between-subjects factor.

Setting: The University of Toledo Athletic Training Research Laboratory.

Patients or other participants: Twenty participants with PFPS and 20 healthy participants between the ages of 18 and 29 years.

Intervention(s): The participants performed 3 reaches of the SEBT in the anterior direction under tape and no-tape conditions on both legs.

Main outcome measure(s): The participants' hip and knee sagittal-plane kinematics were measured using the electromagnetic tracking system. Reach distance was recorded by hand and was normalized by dividing the distance by the participants' leg length (%MAXD). After each taping condition on each leg, the participants rated the perceived pain level using the 10-cm visual analog scale.

Results: The participants with PFPS had a reduction in pain level with patellar tape application compared with the no-tape condition (P = .005). Additionally, participants with PFPS demonstrated increased %MAXD under the tape condition compared with the no-tape condition, whereas the healthy participants demonstrated decreased %MAXD with tape versus no tape (P = .028). No statistically significant differences were noted in hip flexion and knee flexion angles.

Conclusions: Although patellar taping seemed to reduce pain and improve SEBT performance of participants with PFPS, the exact mechanisms of these phenomena cannot be explained in this study. Further research is warranted to investigate the effect of patellar taping on neuromuscular control during dynamic postural control.

Keywords: McConnell taping; anterior knee pain.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. A, Patellar tape application procedure using the medial glide technique, with B, an obvious skin crease noted after tape application.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Anterior-direction Star Excursion Balance Test with taped condition applied to stance leg.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Tape-by-group interaction for visual analogue pain scores (F1,38 = 8.691, P = .005). aIndicates significance differences between groups (P = .005), bsignificant differences within the patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) group (P = .005).
Figure 4
Figure 4. Tape-by-group interaction for normalized reach distance (%MAXD) on the Star Excursion Balance Test (F1,38 = 5.189, P = .028). PFPS indicates patellofemoral pain syndrome group. aIndicates significant differences between groups (P = .028), bsignificant differences within the control group (P = .028).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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