Knee complaints are in the top 5 health problems treated by a therapist. This can concern an acute complaint after a trauma, but also chronic knee complaints such as knee osteoarthritis.
Pain caused by knee osteoarthritis can severely limit the gait of the elderly. Recently, a study was conducted among 10 participants to measure the direct effect of kinesiotaping on pain and function in the elderly with osteoarthritis of the knee. The results of the study suggest that kinesiotaping is effective as a direct pain relieving intervention in knee osteoarthritis in the elderly.
Research method
The study included 10 elderly people with knee osteoarthritis. Data on knee pain, gait and balance was collected from all participants before the kinesiotaping was applied. Knee pain was measured with the VAS scale at rest and while walking. Gait and balance information was retrieved with a 10-minute walk test and an up-and-go test. After the taping was applied, the same data was collected again.
Results & conclusion
The study shows that kinesiotaping is a good intervention to reduce knee pain and significantly improves gait and balance (P<0.05) compared to no taping. According to the researchers, kinesio taping is therefore a good intervention to reduce knee pain and can be seen as an aid for gait and balance. Small side note: the results only say something about the direct short-term effect and nothing about the longer-term effect. In addition, this study has a relatively small sample size of 10 patients.
In short: if you have knee problems, don't keep walking with it, because maybe we can help you find the right one tape! (source: Movement Expert.nl)