The effects of patellar taping on knee joint proprioception
Three articles on PainSci cite Callaghan 2002: 1. The Complete Guide to IT Band Syndrome 2. The Complete Guide to Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome 3. Do IT Band Straps Work for Runner’s Knee?
PainSci commentary on Callaghan 2002: ?This page is one of thousands in the PainScience.com bibliography. It is not a general article: it is focused on a single scientific paper, and it may provide only just enough context for the summary to make sense. Links to other papers and more general information are provided wherever possible.
This article provides an important clue that may help to rationalize the use of a “Patt Strap,” “Cho Strap” or “iliotibial band syndrome strap,” and also suggests a possible mechanism for therapeutic effect on patellofemoral syndrome in particular, as well as other problems. This evidence suggests that proprioception is enhanced by patellar taping. From the abstract: “Subjects with good proprioception did not benefit from patellar taping. However, in those healthy subjects with poor proprioceptive ability ... patellar taping provided proprioceptive enhancement.” Ten years later, the same researchers demonstrated that brain activity is modulated by taping (see Callaghan 2012).
original abstract †Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of patellar taping on knee joint proprioception.
DESIGN AND SETTING: In a research unit, 3 proprioceptive tests were performed. For each of the tests, a standardized patellar taping technique was applied in random order.
SUBJECTS: Fifty-two healthy volunteers (27 women, 25 men; age, 23.2 +/- 4.6 years; body mass index, 23.3 +/- 3.7).
MEASUREMENTS: We measured active angle reproduction, passive angle reproduction, and threshold to detection of passive movement on an isokinetic dynamometer.
RESULTS: We found no significant differences between the tape and no-tape conditions in any of the 3 proprioceptive tests (P >.05). However, when the subjects' results for active angle reproduction and passive angle reproduction were graded as good (5 degrees), taping was found to improve significantly those with poor proprioceptive ability (P <.01).
CONCLUSIONS: Subjects with good proprioception did not benefit from patellar taping. However, in those healthy subjects with poor proprioceptive ability as measured by active and passive ankle reproduction, patellar taping provided proprioceptive enhancement. Further studies are needed to investigate the effect of patellar taping on the proprioceptive status of patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome.
related content
- “Effects of Patellar Taping on Brain Activity During Knee Joint Proprioception Tests Using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging,” Michael J Callaghan, Shane McKie, Paul Richardson, and Jacqueline A Oldham, Physical Therapy, 2012.
This page is part of the PainScience BIBLIOGRAPHY, which contains plain language summaries of thousands of scientific papers & others sources. It’s like a highly specialized blog. A few highlights:
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- A double-blinded randomised controlled study of the value of sequential intravenous and oral magnesium therapy in patients with chronic low back pain with a neuropathic component. Yousef 2013 Anaesthesia.
- Is Neck Posture Subgroup in Late Adolescence a Risk Factor for Persistent Neck Pain in Young Adults? A Prospective Study. Richards 2021 Phys Ther.
- Sudden amnesia resulting in pain relief: the relationship between memory and pain. Choi 2007 Pain.
- Photobiomodulation therapy is not better than placebo in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain: a randomised placebo-controlled trial. Guimarães 2021 Pain.