Introduction: Taping is used to prevent and treat musculoskeletal injuries. This review examines the evidence for the effectiveness of taping in improving patient outcomes following patellofemoral pain syndrome.

Materials & methods: A comprehensive literature search was performed in Medline, Cinhahl, Amed, Mantis, Science Direct, Proquest, SID and Cochrane databases.

Findings: These searches yielded a total of 74 articles, which were reviewed thoroughly to identify suitable articles. Inclusion criteria included the following: studies that were conducted from 2000 to 2010 in English or Persian language and investigated the effect of taping on  pain reduction, neuromuscular control,  patellar positioning and  femoral joint reaction force or at least one of them. Exclusion criteria included case report studies. 22 trials were accepted according to the inclusion/exclusion criteria.

Discussion & Conclusion: This review provides the most updated evidence on the effectiveness of the taping for patellofemoral pain syndrome. Selected articles were discussed in this review and it was concluded that patellar taping can reduce pain, increase vastus medialis obliquus activity (without exercise), in addition to improving gait and reducing patellofemoral joint reaction force.