Effects of Multimodal Physical Therapy With and Without McConnell Taping in Patients With Anterior Knee Pain.

Effects of Multimodal Physical Therapy With and Without McConnell Taping in Patients With Anterior Knee Pain.

This study aims to determine the effect Multimodal physical therapy with and without McConnell taping on pain, functional limitation and severity of symptoms in patients with anterior knee pain.

The term "Anterior Knee Pain" is often used interchangeably with "Patellelofemoral Pain Syndrome" (PFPS or " runner's knee" which involves stiffness and pain when patellofemoral joint is loaded with different activities that require prolonged knee flexion, stairs climbing or descending , running, kneeling and squatting. Multimodal therapy and tapping techniques are useful for reducing pain and improving functional activities of patient daily living.

In this randomized clinical trial, Thirty participants with anterior knee pain will be randomly assigned to one of the two intervention groups: Group A: Group A will be treated with multimodal physical therapy program with McConnell taping. Group B: Group B will be treated with multimodal physical therapy program without McConnell taping. Randomization will be performed using a convenient random sampling method via lottery method. Each participant will receive a total of 12 treatment sessions.

over a four-week period. The effects of the interventions will be assessed at the beginning (first session), conclusion (eight session). Participants will be followed up after 4 weeks again. Outcome measures, including pain intensity, functional limitation and severity of symptoms will be evaluating using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS) and Anterior Knee Pain Scale (AKPS) respectively. Data will be analyzed using SPSS software version 25. Normality of data will be assessed using the Shapiro-wilk test. For within-group comparisons, paired t- test will be used. To compare changes between the groups, the independent t-test will be applied, depending on the data distribution. The analysis of these outcome measures will provide. valuable insights into the impact of the interventions on participants' pain, functional limitation and severity of symptoms.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 17-35 years, both male and female.
• Unilateral or bilateral pain lasting for more than 2-3 months.
• Diagnosed with patellofemoral pain by orthopedic surgeon through clinical and radiological findings.
• Positive patellofemoral grinding test, negative McCurry test and full knee range of motion.
• Pain grade 3-6 by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS).
• Pain at least in two of these positions: sitting for long time with knee bends, going up and down the stairs, squatting and running, kneeling.

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of ligament sprain, meniscal injury, knee fracture, patellar dislocation and knee osteoarthritis.
• True knee joint locking or giving away and tibial or iliotibial track tendinopathy.

Pregnancy.

• Developmental dysplasia of hip and undergoing any medical treatment.
• Spinal surgery and neurological disorders.