Background and objective: In the available literature there are no reports on the effectiveness of Kinesio Taping (KT) in the conservative treatment of patients with anterior instability of the knee. The purpose of the present research was to evaluate the influence of the selected KT technique in limiting the anterior translation of the tibia by performing a biomechanical analysis of the gait cycle of patients with anterior instability of the knee.
Methods: A total of 31 patients qualified for the single group study. In all patients, a total tear of the anterior cruciate ligament was diagnosed. The research tool was a three-dimensional motion analysis BTS SMART system. The effectiveness of KT of the knee with an anterior cruciate ligament tear was assessed based on angular changes in the movement of the knee in three planes of motion during specific phases of the gait cycle.
Results: The results show that KT does not significantly affect angular values of the knee joint in the sagittal and transverse planes of the affected and healthy limb during selected phases of the gait cycle.
Conclusions: Due to only observed changes in the frontal plane, the KT method should be modified to also improve knee function in other planes.
Keywords: Anterior knee instability; Kinesio Taping; gait.