Knee Taping

Original Editor - Rachael Lowe

Top Contributors - Admin, Michelle Lee, Kim Jackson, 127.0.0.1, WikiSysop, Vidya Acharya, Rucha Gadgil, Wanda van Niekerk and Jess Bell  

Introduction

Taping has been indicated as a physiotherapy treatment for many different knee presentations however much of the evidence is contradictory.  There is a plethora of research on taping particularly in relation to PFPS and patella alignment which is conflicting and difficult to make sense of.  Taping is one of the adjunct treatments that we as physiotherapists might use with our patients in combination with well supported techniques such as patient education and exercise therapy.  We could argue that if taping has a positive effect, be it palcebo or mechanical,  then we should use it. 

There is good reason to use taping for sporting injuries of the knee, however there is contradicting evidence for using taping to improve lower limb biomechanics to reduce pain and improve function in conditions such as PFPS[1].

This article presents a variety of techniques of taping in the knee and their possible indications.  

Knee Taping Techniques

Patella (McConnell) Taping

The McConnell taping technique was developed to correct altered patellofemoral kinematics and permit participation in normal daily activity and to allow the patient to engage in physical therapy exercise pain free. There are several variations of the taping procedure depending on the specific needs of the patient (eg, glide, tilt, and/or rotation).

Tendinopathy Taping

Many athletes say they experience less pain when wearing a strap (anecdotal evidence). However, there is currently little scientific evidence for the effectiveness of a patellar strap and sports tape in patellar tendinopathy. De Vries provides a nice summary of hypotheses for these potential effects but concludes by saying more research is needed to confirm these hypotheses:

• Increases the patella-patellar tendon angle and reduce the effective length of the patellar tendon, this might reduce the strain on the tendon.
• Improve the proprioception and hereby helps to protect the joint from re-injury or it might change the sensory input. An increased sensitisation in patients with patellar tendinopathy, this low pain threshold might be influenced by the strap and could therefore result in a decrease in the amount of pain that is perceived.
• By reducing the load on the tendon, thetaping may improve the balance between load and load capacity in the long term. A gradually increasing load in which a small amount of pain is allowed is thought to be important for the recovery of a tendon. 

MCL Taping

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The same technique can be employed on the lateral aspect of the knee to support the lateral aspect of the knee for example in LCL injury.

Related Pages

• Taping
• Patellar Taping
• Mulligan Taping
• Kinesio Taping