BACKGROUND: Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is the most prevalent knee disorder. In fact, one in every four knee patients suffers from this syndrom. The purpose of the present study was to compare the effects of Kinesiotape and strength training on knee pain and quadriceps strength in people with patellofemoral pain syndrome. METHODS: Thirty one male patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome, with a mean age of 25 +/- 1 year, a mean height of 173.6 +/- 6.15 cm, and a mean weight of 71.25 +/- 7.1 kg, were randomly assigned into three groups of Kinesiotape, exercise, and combined Kinesiotape-exercise. All groups underwent six weeks of intervention. Pre- and post-tests were administered. A visual analogue scale and the Biodex isokinetic dynamometer were used to measure pain and strength of the knee muscles, respectively. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyze the data. The significance level was considered as alpha = 0.05. FINDINGS: After six weeks of intervention, significant pain reductions were observed in the Kinesiotape, and combined Kinesiotape-exercise groups (p < 0.05). However, mean of maximum quadriceps muscle torque improved significantly only in the combined Kinesiotape-exercise group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of the present study showed that taping significantly reduced pain. It could be concluded that using Kinesiotape increased the contact surface between patella and intercondylar groove and decreased pressure which in turn improved pain.

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