The effects of patellar taping on knee kinetics, kinematics, and vastus lateralis muscle activity during stair ambulation in individuals with patellofemoral pain
PainSci summary of Salsich 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 at the bottom of the page, as often as possible.
“Although patellar taping resulted in decreased pain and increased knee extensor moments, knee flexion angles, and cadence during stair ambulation, the vastus lateralis EMG activity level did not change with taping.”
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.
STUDY DESIGN: Pre- and postintervention repeated measures design.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of patellar taping on knee kinetics, kinematics, and vastus lateralis muscle activity during stair ambulation in individuals with patellofemoral pain (PFP).
BACKGROUND: Patellar taping is a common treatment technique for individuals with PFP. Specific data on whether patellar taping improves gait variables, however, are limited.
METHODS AND MEASURES: Ten subjects with a diagnosis of PFP were studied (five men, five women). The subjects' mean age, height, and mass were 36.5 +/- 11.1 years, 173.1 +/- 10.3 cm, and 70.9 +/- 13.3 kg, respectively. Lower extremity kinematics, ground reaction forces, and vastus lateralis EMG were obtained simultaneously while subjects ascended and descended stairs, under taped and untaped conditions. Knee moments were calculated using inverse dynamics equations. Four 2 x 2 (tape condition x stair condition) ANOVAs for repeated measures were generated for cadence and average stance phase knee extensor moment, knee flexion angle, and EMG.
RESULTS: On the average, a 92.6% reduction in pain was observed following the application of tape. Increases in cadence, knee flexion angles, and knee extensor moments were observed under the taped condition for both stair ascent and descent; however, no difference in average vastus lateralis EMG was found.
CONCLUSIONS: Although patellar taping resulted in decreased pain and increased knee extensor moments, knee flexion angles, and cadence during stair ambulation, the vastus lateralis EMG activity level did not change with taping. Based on data from the vastus lateralis, care must be taken if improved gait parameters indicate change in muscle recruitment.
related content
These two articles on PainScience.com cite Salsich 2002 as a source:
- PS Save Yourself from Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome! — Patellofemoral pain syndrome (aka runner’s knee) explained and discussed in great detail, including every imaginable self-treatment option and all the available scientific evidence
- PS Kinesio Taping Review — A quick analysis of that colourful therapy tape that was so popular at the Olympics. Does it help?
