***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
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    Input: A common rehabilitation strategy for patellofemoral pain syndrome ( PFPS ) , which lacks scientific evidence , includes pulling the patella medially with tape to reduce pain and increase the vastus medialis oblique ( VMO ) muscle activity . The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of various patellar taping procedures on force production , EMG activity of the VMO and vastus lateralis ( VL ) muscles , and perceived pain experienced by 30 women ( 27.3 + /- 1.53 ) , half diagnosed with PFPS . The perceived pain , force , and EMG of the VMO and VL , were recorded while subjects performed maximal isokinetic leg presses at 30 degrees /s for each of the following patellar taping conditions : no tape ( control ) , no glide ( placebo ) , medial and lateral glide ( experimental ) . The medial and placebo procedures significantly ( P < 0.01 ) reduced perceived pain ( 70 - 80 % ) in PFPS subjects . Although patellar taping did not influence leg press force ( P > 0.05 ) , it increased the VMO activity and decreased the VL activity in PFPS subjects but had the opposite effect in healthy subjects . The findings suggest that taping the patella medially can contribute positively to PFPS rehabilitation . Because the medial glide and placebo taping conditions had similar effects , it is proposed that the benefits of patellar taping are not due to a change in patellar position but rather due to enhanced support of the patellofemoral ligaments and /or pain modulation via cutaneous stimulation BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Quadriceps strengthening , quadriceps stretching and patellar taping are commonly prescribed together for patellofemoral pain patients . This study aim ed to examine the effectiveness of each of these techniques in isolation for one week and in combination for one week . METHODS A prospect i ve double-blind r and omized control study was design ed involving 41 subjects with 60 knees diagnosed with patellofemoral pain . The knees were r and omized in onto one of four groups ( n = 15 ) : infrapatellar taping , quadriceps strengthening , quadriceps stretching and control . The taping was worn continually for the week ; the strengthening group followed a programme of non-weight-bearing terminal range quadriceps exercises , the stretching group performed rectus femoris stretches . The control group did not receive treatment . All subjects received advice . Seven pre- and post-treatment measures included isokinetic quadriceps strength , quadriceps length , pain measured during four activities and maximum eccentric , posturally controlled , pain-free knee flexion angle during a step-down . Results showed significant changes over time ( p < 0.01 ) in two out of seven measures for the taping group , in five out of seven for the strengthening group and five out of seven for the stretching group and none in the control group . When the three modalities were combined for one week , ( n = 60 ) all seven measures improved significantly ( p < 0.01 ) . CONCLUSION In isolation , quadriceps stretching and quadriceps strengthening result ed in more improvements than taping . Combining these treatments is recommended as the initial approach to treating patellofemoral pain but further individualized more functional , global treatment is essential OBJECTIVE To compare a commercially available electric muscle stimulation regimen with a novel form of stimulation for the rehabilitation of the quadriceps muscle , in patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome . DESIGN Double-blinded r and omized trial with a parallel control group and stratified r and omization . SETTING Home-based rehabilitation program assessed in research center . PARTICIPANTS Eighty patients ( 47 women , 33 men ) with patellofemoral pain syndrome . INTERVENTIONS One group ( EMPI ) received 1 uniform constant frequency component of 35Hz . The other ( EXPER ) group received an experimental form of stimulation that contained 5 simultaneously delivered frequency components of 125 , 83 , 50 , 2.5 , and 2Hz . Stimulation was applied to the quadriceps muscles of the affected leg for 1 hour daily for 6 weeks , a total of 42 treatments . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Lower-limb isometric and isokinetic torque , quadriceps fatigue , knee flexion , patellar pain , a step test , quadriceps cross-sectional area , and Kujala patellofemoral score for pain before and after treatment . RESULTS Seventy-four patients ( 43 women , 31 men ) completed the trial . Patients in both groups showed significant improvements in all outcomes ( P<.05 ) . No significant differences existed between the 2 stimulators in any outcome ( P>.05 ) except for quadriceps cross-sectional area ( P=.023 ) . CONCLUSIONS One form of stimulation was just as efficacious as the other in improving subjective and objective measures Objective To compare the clinical efficacy of foot orthoses in the management of  patellofemoral pain syndrome  with flat inserts or physiotherapy , and to investigate the effectiveness of foot orthoses plus physiotherapy . Design Prospect i ve , single blind , r and omised clinical trial . Setting Single centre trial within a community setting in Brisbane , Australia . Participants 179 participants ( 100 women ) aged 18 to 40 years , with a clinical diagnosis of patellofemoral pain syndrome of greater than six weeks ’ duration , who had no previous treatment with foot orthoses or physiotherapy in the preceding 12 months . Interventions Six weeks of physiotherapist intervention with off the shelf foot orthoses , flat inserts , multimodal physiotherapy ( patellofemoral joint mobilisation , patellar taping , quadriceps muscle retraining , and education ) , or foot orthoses plus physiotherapy . Main outcome measures Global improvement , severity of usual and worst pain over the preceding week , anterior knee pain scale , and functional index question naire measured at 6 , 12 , and 52 weeks . Results Foot orthoses produced improvement beyond that of flat inserts in the short term , notably at six weeks ( relative risk reduction 0.66 , 99 % confidence interval 0.05 to 1.17 ; NNT 4 ( 99 % confidence interval 2 to 51 ) . No significant differences were found between foot orthoses and physiotherapy , or between physiotherapy and physiotherapy plus orthoses . All groups showed clinical ly meaningful improvements in primary outcomes over 52 weeks . Conclusion While foot orthoses are superior to flat inserts according to participants ’ overall perception , they are similar to physiotherapy and do not improve outcomes when added to physiotherapy in the short term management of patellofemoral pain . Given the long term improvement observed in all treatment groups , general practitioners may seek to hasten recovery by prescribing prefabricated orthoses . Trial registration Australian Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN012605000463673 and Clinical Trials.gov NCT00118521 Background : McConnell recommended that patellar tape be kept on all day , until patients learn how to activate their vastus medialis obliquus ( VMO ) during an exercise program . This application may pose problems because prolonged taping may be inadvisable for some patients or even contraindicated owing to skin discomfort , irritation , or allergic reaction . Hypothesis : Wearing patellofemoral tape for a shorter duration during an exercise program would be just as beneficial as a prolonged taping application . Study Design : Prospect i ve cohort . Methods : Twelve patients and 16 healthy people participated . Patients underwent short-period patellar taping plus an exercise program for 3 months . Numeric pain rating , muscle strength of the knee extensors , and electromyogram activity of the vastus lateralis and VMO were evaluated . Results : There were significant differences in electromyogram activity ( P = .04 ) and knee extensor muscle strength ( P = .03 ) between involved and uninvolved sides before treatment . After treatment , pain scores decreased , and there were no significant differences between involved and uninvolved sides in electromyogram activity ( P = .68 ) and knee extensor strength ( P = .62 ) . Before treatment , mean VMO activation started significantly later than that of vastus lateralis , as compared with the matched healthy control group ( P = .01 ) . After treatment , these differences were nonsignificant ( P = .08 ) . Conclusion : Short-period patellar taping plus an exercise program improves VMO and vastus lateralis activation . Clinical Relevance : A shorter period of taping for the exercise program may be as beneficial as a prolonged taping application STUDY DESIGN A r and omized controlled trial . OBJECTIVES To investigate the effectiveness of daily patella taping and exercise on pain and function in individuals with patellofemoral pain syndrome . BACKGROUND Patella taping and muscle-strengthening programs are commonly used to treat patellofemoral pain syndrome . There is , however , little evidence for the effectiveness of these approaches . METHODS AND MEASURES Twenty-four men and 6 women aged 17 to 25 years ( mean + /- SD , 18.7 + /- 1.2 years ) participated in the study . Subjects were r and omly and exclusively assigned to 1 of 3 treatment groups : patella taping combined with a st and ardized exercise program , placebo patella taping and exercise program , or exercise program alone ( n = 10 in each group ) . Taping was applied and exercises performed on a daily basis for 4 weeks . Outcome measures were visual analog scales for pain and the functional index question naire , recorded at weekly intervals by a therapist who was blinded to group allocation . RESULTS Separate mixed-model ANOVAs , with repeated measures on time , indicated statistically significant improvements in pain and function over time for all groups ( P<.01 ) and also significant differences between groups for all measures ( P<.01 ) . Separate independent sample s t tests showed that the group receiving taping and exercises had better pain and function scores following treatment than the placebo taping- and -exercise group and the exercise-alone group . There were no significant differences between the placebo taping- and -exercise group and exercise-alone group at any time point . CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate that over a period of 4 weeks a combination of daily patella taping and exercises was successful in improving pain and function in individuals with patellofemoral pain syndrome . The combination of patella taping and exercise was superior to the use of exercise alone STUDY DESIGN A multicenter , single-masked study of patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome ( PFPS ) using a repeated- measures design . OBJECTIVE To compare 3 different methods of patellar taping for individuals with PFPS . BACKGROUND Patellar taping is commonly used as a treatment for PFPS . It is commonly thought that taping works by medially realigning the patella . However , comparisons have been rarely made with other methods of taping which attempt to realign the patella in different directions . METHODS AND MEASURES Seventy-one patients with PFPS ( 39 men , 32 women ; average age + /- SD , 34 + /- 10 years ) from 3 different treatment centers were tested . Each patient performed 4 single step-downs from a st and ard 8-inch ( 20.3-cm ) platform , initially with the patella untaped and then with the patella taped in a medial , neutral , and lateral direction . Pain was recorded on a st and ard 11-point numerical pain rating scale . The sequence of taping was r and omly allocated and patients were masked to the method used . The methods of taping were compared using repeated- measures generalized linear model analysis . RESULTS All methods of taping significantly decreased pain when compared to the untaped condition ( P<.0001 ) . Neutral- and lateral-glide techniques produced a significantly greater degree of pain relief ( P<.0001 ) than the medial-glide technique . CONCLUSION In this study , patellar taping produced an immediate decrease in pain in patients with PFPS , irrespective of how taping was applied . These data raise questions as to the mechanism of action of patellar taping . Furthermore , these results suggest that it is unlikely that taping works by altering patellar position Background Patellar taping is widely used clinical ly to treat patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome ( PFPS ) . Although patellar taping has been demonstrated to reduce patellofemoral pain in patients with PFPS , the kinematic source for this pain reduction has not been identified . Objective The purpose of this study was to quantify the changes in the 6-degrees-of-freedom patellofemoral kinematics due to taping in patients with PFPS . Design A within-subject design and a sample of convenience were used . Participants Fourteen volunteers ( 19 knees ) who were diagnosed with patellofemoral pain that was present for a year or longer were included . Each knee had to meet at least 1 of the following inclusion criteria : Q-angle of ≥15 degrees , a positive apprehension test , patellar lateral hypermobility ( ≥10 mm ) , or a positive “ J sign . ” Methods Each knee underwent 2 r and omly ordered testing conditions ( untaped and taped ) . A full fast-phase contrast ( PC ) magnetic resonance image set was acquired for each condition while the participants volitionally extended and flexed their knee . Three-dimensional displacements and rotations were calculated through integration of the fast-PC velocity data . Statistical comparisons between baseline patellofemoral kinematics and the change in kinematics due to taping were performed using a 2-tailed paired Student t test . Correlations between baseline patellofemoral kinematics and the change in kinematics due to taping also were quantified . Results Patellar taping result ed in a significant patellofemoral inferior shift . The strongest correlation existed between the change in lateral-medial displacement with taping and baseline ( r=−.60 ) . Conclusions The inferior shift in patellar displacement with taping partially explains the previously documented decrease in pain due to increases in contact area . The lack of alteration 
    Output:
    
The currently available evidence from trials reporting clinical ly relevant outcomes is low quality and insufficient to draw conclusions on the effects of taping , whether used on its own or as part of a treatment programme .