The effect of kinesiology tape on pain reduction in patellofemoral pain syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Abstract

Context: This systematic review and meta-analysis is the first of its kind to analyze the effectiveness of kinesiology tape (KT) on reducing pain in individuals with patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS). KT demonstrates significant reductions in pain outcomes, thus, its incorporation into osteopathic treatment for PFPS is supported.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to systematically evaluate the evidence documenting the effectiveness of KT on pain reduction for patients with PFPS utilizing the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach, and to evaluate the pain reduction efficacy of KT in patients with PFPS through a meta-analysis of pooled data from previous studies.

Methods: A systematic review and random-effects meta-analysis was conducted utilizing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines. Included were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from any publication time until March 2024 that assessed pain outcomes of KT before and immediately after application. Key terms were initially identified utilizing Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), and then Boolean operators were applied. Five databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane, Embase, and Web of Science) were searched utilizing the search string ("Patellofemoral pain syndrome" OR "Patellofemoral pain" OR "Patellofemoral syndrome" OR "Anterior Knee Pain Syndrome" OR "PFPS" OR "Runner's knee") AND ("kinesiology tape" OR "kinesio tape" OR "elastic therapeutic tape" OR "kinesiology therapeutic tape" OR "k-tape" OR "kinetic tape") AND ("pain" OR "discomfort" OR "stability"). Six authors participated in the initial search and screen utilizing Rayyan.ai software to reach a two-person consensus on inclusion. Disagreements among authors were discussed and agreed upon by a third author. Included were RCTs that utilized pain intensity to assess the effectiveness of KT pre- and immediately post-application. Studies with a delayed follow-up time or no pain data were excluded from our analysis.

Results: Ninety-four articles were found in the search, of which 37 duplicates were subsequently removed, leaving 57 papers for analysis of titles and abstracts based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. After title and abstract screening, 10 papers were left for full-text review. Full text studies with a delayed follow-up time (n=2) or those that did not report pain data means pre-post intervention (n=3) were excluded. Five articles were included in the study consisting of a total of n=105 participants in the control group and n=120 participants in the KT group. The overall pooled estimate demonstrated a significant reduction in pain intensity pre-post KT application (p≤0.001, Cohen's d = -1.18 [-1.89, -0.48]) with substantial heterogeneity (I²=81.1). No difference was found in the control group (p=0.07, Cohen's d = -0.71, [-1.48, 0.07]) with substantial heterogeneity (I²=79.0). Subgroup analysis found no significant differences between groups (p=0.38).

Conclusions: This meta-analysis found a significant benefit in utilizing KT for PFPS. The high I² values of both subgroups suggest substantial variability, which likely contributed to the insignificant differences between subgroups. Overall, the data suggest that the utilization of KT may be effective in acutely reducing pain perception in patients with PFPS, but more high-quality research is required.

Keywords: kinesiology tape; patellofemoral pain syndrome; sports medicine.