Knee taping works…but do we really know why? Most of us have seen sports players with tape on their knees. Maybe you have had your own knees strapped up by a health professional. Did you understand what the tape was meant to be doing? Did it help?
Pain at the front of the knee, behind the kneecap, is very common, and often relates to an error in the way the kneecap slides on the femur underneath it.
More information about ‘patellofemoral’ knee pain, as it is generally called, is included our previous article:
Patellofemoral joint…or steam train?
Taping over the kneecap is a common and effective way to manage patellofemoral pain. The theory is this: pain caused by the kneecap veering off to the side when it moves (rather than sticking to the desired straight up and down pathway) is controlled by tape that alters this movement error, encouraging the kneecap to stay ‘on its track’.
The article listed below, that I read recently, confirms what Physios have found clinically: that taping over the kneecap definitely reduces pain.
The curve ball that the researchers threw, however, was that the kneecap didn’t actually change its movement or positioning with the tape on.
In a nutshell, the taping works, but not for the reasons we thought. It makes you wonder…does the ‘why it works’ really matter?
For the patient who gets pain relief, possibly not.
For the Physiotherapist, it is still important – the ‘why’ drives research, creates new techniques and gives a heap of job satisfaction!
Til next fortnight, keep moving!
Any injury questions?
