Usefulness of taping in lower limb osteoarthritis. French clinical practice guidelines

To develop clinical practice guidelines about the use of taping in the management of lower limb osteoarthritis.

We used the methodology advocated by the SOFMER (French Society for Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine), which combines a literature review, collection of data on current practice patterns, and validation of the recommendations by a multidisciplinary panel of experts. Our evaluation focused on the effectiveness of taping in relieving symptoms of lower limb osteoarthritis.

Ankle taping for osteoarthritis is not recommended, given the absence of published data and very low level of use in France. Few studies are available on knee taping for osteoarthritis.

Published studies exhibit a number of methodological weaknesses. There is no strong evidence that taping is effective in knee osteoarthritis, and this treatment modality is rarely used in France. Therefore, there is no strong basis at present for recommending taping as part of the management of knee osteoarthritis. Well-designed studies of patellar taping to modify the relationships between the patellar and the trochlea are desirable to determine whether this treatment modality benefits patients with knee osteoarthritis, most notably those with involvement of the femoropatellar compartment.