Effects of Femoral Rotational Taping on Dynamic Postural Stability in Female Patients With Patellofemoral Pain.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of femoral rotational taping on task performance, dynamic postural control, and pain during the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) in patients with patellofemoral pain (PFP) compared to healthy controls. Twenty-four female participants (16 with PFP, 8 controls) took part in the study and were divided into a PFP and SEBT groups with no tapeing, sham taping or femoral rotational taping. The maximum anterior excursion distance, 3-dimensional hip and knee kinematics of the stance leg, and pain score (VAS) during SEBT were recorded. The coefficients of variance (CV) of kinematic data gathered from electromagnetic sensors on pelvis and femur were calculated to represent segmental stability.

When performing the SEBT in the anterior direction, application of femoral rotational taping increased maximum excursion distance (65.57% vs 66.15% leg length, P = 0.027), decreased hip adduction excursion (47.6 vs 32.1 degrees, P = 0.010), and pain (3.34 vs 2.38, P = 0.040) in the PFP group. Femoral rotational taping also improved the medial-lateral (7.1 vs 4.6, P = 0.015) and proximal-distal stability (7.5 vs 4.5, P = 0.020) of the pelvis, and medial-lateral stability (7.2 vs 6.1, P = 0.009) of the femur. The results support the use of femoral rotational taping for improving dynamic postural control and reducing pain during SEBT. Femoral rotational taping could be used in the management of young female patients with PFP.