Role of Kinesiology taping & McConnell taping in patellofemoral pain syndrome: A comparative analysis.

Dr. (Col) Bibhu Nayak; Dr. Mukul Mittal; Dr. Milind Tanwar

Volume : VII, Issue : I, January - 2018

Role of Kinesiology taping & McConnell taping in patellofemoral pain syndrome: A comparative analysis.

Dr. Col Bibhu Nayak, Dr. Mukul Mittal, Dr. Milind Tanwar

Abstract :

Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS)is a common diagnosis in orthopaedic and sports medicine clinics. long-term consequences of anterior knee pain in adolescence and young adulthood include a predisposition to patellofemoral osteoarthritis in later life ^1,2

PFPS patient has excessive stress on patellofemoral joint in case of structural abnormality of the lower extremities, mainly including the weight be� axis or mal-rotation due to developmental anomaly³. A weak medialis and tight IT band increase lateral shear and patellofemoral joint stress ^4,5. An imbalance in muscle activities & strong impulsive contractions in sporting leads to abnormal patellar tracking ^6-9.

Various conservative treatments have been discussed in literature with role of multi-modality treatment being stressed. Of these taping is a commonly used adjunct, with the McConnell taping technique and the Kinesiology taping method being most popular. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the two methods of taping, Kinesiology and McConnell separately and compare them first to controls and secondly with each other.

Material & Methods:

A prospective case control study included 150 patients diagnosed with PFPS after informed written consent. The cases with known ligament/meniscal damage, patellar subluxation or dislocation or bony deformity were excluded. The patients enrolled were examined thoroughly to establish diagnosis. Patients complaining of anterior knee pain during atleast two of the following activities; ascending/descending stairs, squatting, running, prolonged sitting, hopping for more than 2 months were included. Patellar mal-tracking was assessed for in the clinical examination under categories of tilt, external rotation & glide.

The participants were divided into three groups of which the first group received home based therapy including an exercise programme. Participants of group 2 were treated with McConnell taping. Third group of patients underwent treatment with Kinesiology taping in additional to the home-based therapy. Acetaminophen was used in patients experiencing severe pain on as required basis.

Functional assessment was done using KUJALA Knee Score¹⁰. Clinical outcome was assessed using step test¹¹ and triple jump test¹².

For all descriptive and statistical analysis, Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 23 was used.

Results:

Amongst the total cohort of 150 patients, there were 66 females and 84 males. In the Home-Based therapy (group A) there were 21 females and 29 males. The McConnell taping (group b) had 25 males and females each, and the Kinesiology taping (group C) had 30 males and 20 females respectively. The mean age of the cohort was 26.55 � 5.172 years. The mean duration for the pathognomonic symptoms of PFPS in the study cohort enrolled was 6.22 � 2.7 months. When assessed for site of involvement, 66 people had right sided pain, 54 complained about pain on the left side while 30 had bilateral pain. Patellar maltracking was present in almost 30% (47) patients. They had either patellar tilting (26), patellar gliding (16) or external rotation of the patella (5).