Is knee-cap taping feasible and acceptable as part of a treatment package for painful knee-cap arthritis?

The feasibility of knee taping in painful patellofemoral joint osteoarthritis (PFJOA): TAPE-it

Status

Recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN30017763

Enrollment

Registered

2024-11-20

Start date

2024-12-16

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2026-02-16

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Medical sports taping of the knee for painful patellofemoral osteoarthritis Musculoskeletal Diseases

Interventions

Before the original application: Five patients were invited to be introduced to the project concept and design. Their feedback helped inform the Work Package 1 (WP1) part of the study. WP1: Before t

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

40 Years to 100 Years

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Adults over 40 years of age 2. Pain predominantly over the patella (anterior knee pain) and greater than medial or lateral knee pain 3. Clinically significant patellofemoral pain/anterior knee pain on weight-bearing activity such as stair ascent/descent, sit-stand scored at 4 or above on an 11-point (0-10) visual analogue scale (VAS) 4. Already on a stable/regular dose of analgesia 5. Able to understand English (or English speaking) and give full informed consent 6. Willing to participate

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Symptoms not attributable to predominant patellofemoral OA or attributable only to medial or lateral knee compartment OA 2. Previous major surgery in the knee to be treated (partial/total knee replacement, knee fracture or knee realignment surgery, high tibial osteotomy) 3. Diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, gout or other forms of inflammatory arthritis 4. Cancer within the last 5 years (except non-melanoma skin cancers) 4. Planned knee replacement surgery or other knee surgery in the next 6 months 5. Responded to a steroid or viscosupplementation injection to the painful knee in the last 3 months 6. Those with a known allergy to elasticated tape, with fragile or very sensitive skin, psoriasis, or with lesions/rash/open wound in the are where the tape will be applied 7. Significant neurological disorder (e.g. stroke, dementia, MS, Parkinson's) affecting cognitive ability

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Current primary outcome(s) Participant uptake is assessed as follows: 1. Recruitment numbers measured using study data at baseline 2. % dropout/withdrawal numbers measured using study data at 2, 6 and 12 weeks _____ Previous primary outcomes as of 20/01/2026: 1. Recruitment rate: number of participants recruited over the recruitment period. 2. Intervention adherence: determined by self-report at 2, 6 and 12 weeks 3. Self-report number of tape strips used at weeks 2, 6, 12. 4. Retention: proportion of participants who were contactable by telephone at 12 weeks. 5. Understanding participants’ experience of taping, the acceptability of the intervention and follow-up methods through semi-structured interviews conducted over the post intervention follow-up period. 6. Willingness to be randomised: proportion of eligible patients approached who would be willing to be randomised to a ‘no-tape’ group in a future RCT. _____ Previous primary outcomes: Participant uptake is assessed as follows: 1. Recruitment numbers measured using study data at baseline 2. % dropout/withdrawal numbers measured using study data at 2, 6 and 12 weeks	—

Measure

Time frame

Current primary outcome(s) Participant uptake is assessed as follows: 1. Recruitment numbers measured using study data at baseline 2. % dropout/withdrawal numbers measured using study data at 2, 6 and 12 weeks _____ Previous primary outcomes as of 20/01/2026: 1. Recruitment rate: number of participants recruited over the recruitment period. 2. Intervention adherence: determined by self-report at 2, 6 and 12 weeks 3. Self-report number of tape strips used at weeks 2, 6, 12. 4. Retention: proportion of participants who were contactable by telephone at 12 weeks. 5. Understanding participants’ experience of taping, the acceptability of the intervention and follow-up methods through semi-structured interviews conducted over the post intervention follow-up period. 6. Willingness to be randomised: proportion of eligible patients approached who would be willing to be randomised to a ‘no-tape’ group in a future RCT. _____ Previous primary outcomes: Participant uptake is assessed as follows: 1. Recruitment numbers measured using study data at baseline 2. % dropout/withdrawal numbers measured using study data at 2, 6 and 12 weeks

—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Current key secondary outcome(s) as of 04/02/2026: . Correct tape application measured using study observation by the CI at the 2-week visit. Advice and adjustments to the taping method if required by the CI. 2. Adherence measured using a count of the remaining tape strips at weeks 2,6,12: Approximate amount of time of tape wearing measured using patient self-reported hours per day and days per week of tape wearing at weeks 2, 6 and 12. 3. Reduction in knee pain measured using the 11-point (0-10) Visual Analogue Scale during a Nominated Activity (VASNA) and knee pain and function measured using the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score for patellofemoral pain and osteoarthritis (KOOS-PF) at baseline, 2, 6 and 12 weeks _____ Previous secondary outcomes as of 20/01/2026: Reduction in knee pain measured using the 11-point (0-10) Visual Analogue Scale during a Nominated Activity (VASNA) and knee pain and function measured using the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score for patellofemoral pain and osteoarthritis (KOOS-PF) at baseline, 2, 6 and 12 weeks. _____ Previous secondary outcomes: 1. Correct tape application measured using study observation by the CI at the 2-week visit. Advice and adjustments to the taping method if required by the CI. 2. Adherence measured using a count of the remaining tape strips at weeks 2,6,12: Approximate amount of time of tape wearing measured using patient self-reported hours per day and days per week of tape wearing at weeks 2, 6 and 12. 3. Reduction in knee pain measured using the 11-point (0-10) Visual Analogue Scale during a Nominated Activity (VASNA) and knee pain and function measured using the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score for patellofemoral pain and osteoarthritis (KOOS-PF) at baseline, 2, 6 and 12 weeks	—

Measure

Time frame

Current key secondary outcome(s) as of 04/02/2026: . Correct tape application measured using study observation by the CI at the 2-week visit. Advice and adjustments to the taping method if required by the CI. 2. Adherence measured using a count of the remaining tape strips at weeks 2,6,12: Approximate amount of time of tape wearing measured using patient self-reported hours per day and days per week of tape wearing at weeks 2, 6 and 12. 3. Reduction in knee pain measured using the 11-point (0-10) Visual Analogue Scale during a Nominated Activity (VASNA) and knee pain and function measured using the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score for patellofemoral pain and osteoarthritis (KOOS-PF) at baseline, 2, 6 and 12 weeks _____ Previous secondary outcomes as of 20/01/2026: Reduction in knee pain measured using the 11-point (0-10) Visual Analogue Scale during a Nominated Activity (VASNA) and knee pain and function measured using the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score for patellofemoral pain and osteoarthritis (KOOS-PF) at baseline, 2, 6 and 12 weeks. _____ Previous secondary outcomes: 1. Correct tape application measured using study observation by the CI at the 2-week visit. Advice and adjustments to the taping method if required by the CI. 2. Adherence measured using a count of the remaining tape strips at weeks 2,6,12: Approximate amount of time of tape wearing measured using patient self-reported hours per day and days per week of tape wearing at weeks 2, 6 and 12. 3. Reduction in knee pain measured using the 11-point (0-10) Visual Analogue Scale during a Nominated Activity (VASNA) and knee pain and function measured using the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score for patellofemoral pain and osteoarthritis (KOOS-PF) at baseline, 2, 6 and 12 weeks

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Countries

England, United Kingdom

Contacts

Public ContactDeborah Maskell

Deborah.Maskell@manchester.ac.uk-

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 19, 2026