1. A Comparison of Common Taping Techniques in the Management of Patellofemoral Pain
Syndrome in College-Aged Individuals
Linda Annan, SPT; Andrew Claypool, ATC, SPT; Joseph Paul Coviello, SPT; Jeannina DeStefano, SPT;
Jenna Marchinetti, SPT; Karli Spencer, SPT
Research Mentor: Rumit Singh Kakar PT, PhD
Introduction: Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS) is a frequently encountered musculoskeletal
disorder characterized by retropatellar knee pain that worsens with activity. The multifactorial
etiology of PFPS alters lower extremity mechanics, increasing patellofemoral joint stresses during
weight-bearing tasks.Patellar tapings are often incorporated into PFPS treatment, with previous
studies reporting mixed efficacy for Kinesio (KT) and McConnell (MC) tapings.
Objectives: To test the efficacy of KT, MC and sham taping (ST) in improving knee mechanics and
reducing pain during activity. It is hypothesized that KT will show better results than MC and ST,
considering the corrective and facilitative properties of KT.
Methods: 10 participants (age 20.3±1.5yrs, height 66.9±4.1in, weight 70.17±13.1kg) with anterior
knee pain and no history of trauma performed squat, drop jump, and step-down tasks at baseline
and under 3 taping conditions. Exercise and taping orders were randomized. Sparkmotion®
analyzed
2D motion capture data of lower extremities in frontal and sagittal planes. Univariate ANOVA with
repeated measures (p<.05) compared baseline and taping conditions during exercises for VAS and
knee flexion in all exercises, hip abduction during step-down and drop jump, frontal plane
projection during step-downs and anterior knee translation during squat.
Results: Sig. reductions in VAS were recorded during squats between tapes
(F(2.505,12.867)=3.407;p=.042). Pairwise comparison showed a statistically sig. decrease in VAS for
ST (mean difference=1.14; p=.008) and KT (mean difference=1.54; p=.018) compared to baseline
during squats. Anterior knee translation had a statistically sig. reduction with KT when compared to
baseline during squats (mean difference= 1.92;p=.048). A tendency for clinical sig. was observed for
MC in reducing hip abduction during step-down compared to KT (p=.075). ST also showed tendency
to achieve greater knee flexion compared to baseline during drop jump (p=.073). No other
differences were observed between tapings in the different tasks (p=.073-.949). Discussion: Our
findings parallel previous research demonstrating mixed results between various tapings, including
detectable changes with ST. Decreased VAS scores with each tape suggest that proprioceptive
feedback from tape reduces perceived pain, but its effect on correcting pathomechanics is unclear.
The role of KT in decreasing anterior knee translation and increasing knee flexion more than other
tapings during squats and drop jumps, respectively, may be due to more effective proprioceptive
input or muscle facilitation. MC may reduce hip abduction by increasing patellofemoral contact
area, improving stability and potentially allowing the patient to correct pathokinematics with less
pain.
Conclusion: KT and MC can decrease perceived pain in individuals with PFPS, allowing clinicians to
better target underlying pathomechanics with greater patient satisfaction. Further research is
needed to examine the efficacy of patellar taping in correcting knee pathomechanics and serving as
a placebo on perceived pain.