The effect of hip strengthening exercises and patellar taping on pain, function, and balance i̇n patients with dynamic knee valgus and patellofemoral pain syndrome

The aim of this study is to examine the effectiveness of hip and knee strengthening exercises and Mulligan rigid taping in the treatment of patients with dynamic knee valgus (DKV) and patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS). Thirty-four patients with DKV and PFPS were randomly assigned to experimental group (EG) and control groups (CG) (n=1:1). Both groups received same exercise programe, under the supervision of the physiotherapist, three times a week for 6-weeks. EG also received taping aplication with the exercise for 6-weeks. Knee function (Anterior Knee Pain Scale-AKPS), pain (Visual Analog Scale-VAS), frontal plane projection angle (FPPA), muscle strength (hip extension, hip abduction, hip external rotation, knee extension), hip joint range of motion (internal and external rotation), patellar tilt, Q-angle, and dynamic balance were evaluated for both groups at baseline and at the end of the sixth week. Seventeen patients (mean age:28.35±5.23) in the EG and 17 patients (mean age:27.76±5.83) in the CG completed the study. Statistically significant differences were found in all values of both groups (p<0.05). When comparing the 6-week changes in the measured values between the groups, no significant differences were found in dynamic balance, muscle strengths, and range of motion, while significant differences were found in VAS, AKPS, and FPPA values in favor of EG (p<0.05). According to these results, hip and knee strengthening exercises were found an effective method that can be used in patients with DKV and PFS, but they yield more effective results when applied in conjunction with taping.