THE EFFECT OF KINESIO TAPE ON THE KNEE AND HIP KINEMATICS AND PAIN LEVEL IN ATHLETES WITH ANTERIOR KNEE PAIN

Abstract

Anterior knee pain (AKP) is a clinical condition that is experienced over the anterior knee and can be aggravated by practical activities such as squatting and going up and down stairs. AKP is one of the most common knee overuse injuries and it intensifies when the kneecap moves incorrectly and rubs against the lower part of the thigh bone. The biomechanical factors implicated in AKP include decreased muscle strength, distorted mechanical loading, lower limb kinematics and patterns of muscle activation during running. Kinesio tape is one of the rehabilitation methods used to reduce AKP and increase the performance of athletes. In order to investigate the effect of KT on pain levels in AKP, the research adopted a cross-sectional study design. The study involved 24 runners aged between 18 and 50 years. The research used the 3D Gait Biomechanical Analysis system to analyze hip and knee kinematics. In the research, a baseline questionnaire, Kujala questionnaire and OSTRC Overuse injury questionnaire were utilized to collect data regarding the participants' characteristics and the severity of their knee pain. The data was analyzed using SPSS to determine the relationships between the study variables. The findings show that KT is an important rehabilitation instrument that can be used by athletes to reduce AKP. KT does not affect hip and knee kinematics during running. Available evidence supports the findings of this study and shows that KT helps to maintain the joint within physiological limits as well as prevent chances of mechanical overload. This research focused on the short-term impact of KT and thus proposes that future studies focus on the long-term impact of KT on the reduction of pain level in patients with AKP.