Easy and Effective Knee Taping Technique

To prevent or reduce pain in the middle, front or outside of the knee as well as swelling around the knee cap.

An easy and effective technique to prevent or reduce knee pain in the middle, front or side of the knee is called the medial glide where the knee cap is pushed toward the inside of the knee and taped in that position.

How and Why This Technique Works

When you straighten your knee, your quad (blue arrow) contracts and pulls the knee cap (yellow circle) up the femur (yellow arrow)

When your knee bends, the quad lengthens and stretches and your knee cap gets closer to the femur.

The outer edge of the femur is taller and shallower than the inner side of the femur.

If your quad is tight, your hip is weak , or both, your knee cap tends to get pulled to the shallower, outer edge of the femur and can:

• Grind on the bone (yellow arrow in the picture above)

• Rub or cause friction in the tissues on the outer end of the knee

• Cause increased pull or strain in the tissue on the inner end of the knee

By pushing the knee cap toward the middle and then taping it down, you are putting the knee cap in the “deep end of the pool” and allowing the tissues on the outer side of the knee to lengthen (reducing friction) and reduce the strain on tissues on the inner side of the knee.

Be sure to work on the underlying problems that cause this imbalance while using this technique so that you can eventually stop using the tape!