Effects of Taping and Elastic Bandage on Postural Control in Athletes with Patellofemoral Pain: A Randomized Control Trial

Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is the most common overuse syndrome in athletes. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of taping and elastic bandage on postural control in athletes with PFPS. Fifteen males and 19 females with PFPS participated in this clinical trial study for more than 1 month and were randomly divided into two groups; group 1 was taped based on McConnell method and in group 2 elastic bandage was used. The static postural control in both groups was measured before and after interventions using the force- plate through measuring the center of pressure (COP) and estimation of differences between center of pressure and center of mass (COP-COM moment arms) in AP and ML directions. Moreover, dynamic postural control was measured by star excursion balance test (SEBT). Paired t-test and covariance analysis were used for analysis of the data. Results indicated that after taping reach distances increased significantly (p< 0.05) in anterior, anterolateral, lateral and posterior directions but after elastic bandage reach distances increased in posterior, posteromedial and medial directions. After both taping and bandage, COP and COP-COM moment arm measures did not show significant differences. The findings of this investigation showed that in athletes with patellofemoral pain, taping and elastic bandage improved dynamic postural control. However, dynamic methods are successfully used to assess the effects of taping and bandage on postural control. Static variables compared with dynamic measures potentially lack the ability to detect subtle differences of postural control in athletes with PFPS.