Knee Taping : Taping is used to realign the kneecap and hold the kneecap in place. Although knee taping has not been scientifically proven to help stabilize the knee joint, it has been shown to significantly reduce pain. The relief is usually immediate. There are different techniques that a physical therapist (physiotherapist) can show you. The tape can be irritating the skin.
Taping the patella tendon is a fairly simple taping technique using 1-inch tape. Start with the knee bent at a 90-degree angle and wrap the tape flat around the knee once. When you bring the tape back to the front begin to twist it into a string as you go across the front once again. Repeat the flat tape over the same section and then repeat a twisted layer finishing with a flat layer to hold the twist in place.
The McConnel Taping Technique is designed to hold the patella in place when the diagnosis shows that the patella is not moving along the correct path. This technique applies a rectangular bandage over the kneecap holding it in the center of the knee joint to support it when bending and squatting.
Taping the medial or lateral ligaments involves a crisscross taping method that starts over the knee and crosses over and under the patella. The patella is left exposed and supported by the tape around it. You will add additional strips of support along the medial or lateral ligaments depending on which one is injured.
The effect of patella taping on vastus medialis oblique and vastus laterialis EMG activity and knee kinematic variables during stair descent
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of patella taping in normal subjects. Previous work has established positive effects of patella taping on patellofemoral pain syndrome patients, but the mode of action remains unclear. It has been hypothesized that taping brings about subtle changes in the internal physiological environment of the joint. It could be expected that in normal joints taping would bring about a measurable change in function, as the joint is no longer operating in an optimal physiological environment. 10 normal female subject’s (21.4±1.2 years) vastus medialis oblique (VMO) and vastus laterialis (VL) EMG activity and knee kinematics (peak stance flexion angle and angular velocity) were assessed during a step descent, with and without a taped patella. The effect of taping was to significantly decrease VMO and VL EMG activity. Taping also significantly reduced peak stance phase knee flexion and peak stance phase knee flexion angular velocity. In normal asymptomatic subjects patella taping created a situation in which their performance was changed to one similar to that of the pathological patellofemoral pain syndrome population. It would appear that taping caused the joint to function sub-optimally supporting the hypothesis that taping could change the functioning of the patellofemoral joint.
Keywords: Patella taping, VMO EMG, Knee angular velocity and displacement