A Pilot Study of Hip Corrective Taping Using Kinesio Tape for Pain and Lower Extremity Joint Kinematics in Basketball Players with Patellofemoral Pain.

Abstract

PurposeThis pilot study aimed to determine the feasibility of hip corrective taping to improve self-reported knee pain and lower extremity joint kinematics in basketball players with patellofemoral pain.Patients and MethodsA single group pre-test and post-test design. Collegiate basketball players with patellofemoral pain were recruited. Three-dimensional hip and knee joint kinematics were measured during two tasks, single-leg squat (SLS) and lay-up jump (LUJ), and each task was conducted under no-taping and taping conditions. Subjective report of pain was compared between no-taping and taping conditions only during SLS.ResultsTwelve collegiate basketball players with patellofemoral pain (median age, 22.7 [2.5] years; mean height, 173.8 ± 7.4 cm; mean weight, 72.5 ± 12.8 kg) participated in this study. Compared with no-taping, the use of hip corrective taping significantly increased the hip abduction angle at the instant of the maximal vertical ground reaction force during LUJ (no-taping vs taping: 0.6° ± 6.3° vs 3.3° ± 5.1°, p = 0.029), and also caused a trend of decreased maximal hip internal rotation angle during SLS (no-taping vs taping: 8.0° ± 6.6° vs 4.7° ± 6.9°, p = 0.050). Hip corrective taping also improved self-reported knee pain during SLS (no-taping vs taping: 3.4 ± 1.7 vs 2.6 ± 1.0, p = 0.046).ConclusionHip corrective taping may be used as an effective intervention for athletes with patellofemoral pain during basketball-related tasks.