1.    Introduction
Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee is a common degenerative joint disorder in middle-aged women (1). Although joints of the lower limbs, such as the hip and ankle, may also be affected by this disorder, the knee joint is the most common site for osteoarthritis (2). The involvement of both knee joints, or the right knee joint alone, has been reported to be more frequent than the involvement of the left knee joint (3). This condition is a major source of pain and disability, imposing significant economic costs on societies worldwide. In addition to the destruction of articular cartilage, it also has a detrimental impact on the synovial membrane, joint capsule, ligaments, and subchondral bone (4). Pain from OA severely affects the functional and daily activities of those afflicted (5). Kinesio taping is widely used in musculoskeletal disorders, such as shoulder impingement and sports injuries, and has become one of the rehabilitation methods (12). However, the results of studies on the effect of taping on pain in individuals with knee osteoarthritis have been contradictory. Therefore, the present study evaluates the effects of taping on the pain levels of women with knee osteoarthritis to determine whether taping is effective in reducing pain in this population.
2.    Methods
The current research was applied in terms of purpose and semi-experimental in design. The study population consisted of middle-aged women aged 30 to 50 years. Based on inclusion criteria and convenience sampling, 30 women with knee osteoarthritis who were referred to an orthopedic clinic in Tehran were selected as the study sample. According to the G-Power software calculation, a sample size of 30 was deemed sufficient for the research. The participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (15 participants) or the control group (15 participants). All patients had their degree of osteoarthritis confirmed by a specialist physician. Radiographs showing osteoarthritis-related damage were examined in both posterior and anterior views for all subjects. To evaluate pain intensity, the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), which uses a 10 cm graduated line, was employed. Taping was applied with the participant lying down, the knee fully extended, and the quadriceps muscle relaxed. The taping began at the external condyle of the femur. The Shapiro–Wilk test was used to assess the normality of data distribution. For data analysis, the Paired-Sample T-Test was employed for within-group comparisons, while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used for between-group comparisons. All analyses were conducted using SPSS statistical software version 26, with a significance level set at 0.05.
3.    Results
The demographic characteristics of the subjects, including age, height, BMI, and weight, were evaluated across the two groups. The results of the independent t-test indicated no significant differences in these demographic characteristics between the groups. As shown in Fig. 1, the Paired-Sample T-Test values revealed that, in the experimental group (patella taping), the pain level (VAS) had a mean difference of 2.91, a t-value of 2.67, and a significance level of 0.04, indicating a significant effect of patella taping on pain reduction. In contrast, the control group showed a mean difference of 0.11, a t-value of 0.74, and a significance level of 0.32, which does not indicate a significant effect. Additionally, the results show that there is a significant difference in pain levels between the groups in the post-test period (P = 0.03).

4.    Conclusion
The aim of this study was to examine the effect of six weeks of patella taping on pain levels in women with knee osteoarthritis. The results demonstrated that patella taping significantly reduced pain in this population. These findings are consistent with those of previous studies by Lee et al. (2018) (20), Kim et al. (2018) (21), and Tamaria et al. (2016) (22). Patella taping supports the internal and external components of the patellofemoral joint (ligament support), prompting the central nervous system to alter its activation pattern of the quadriceps muscles (28). One possible explanation for the reduction in knee pain observed in this study is the stimulation and enhanced function of nerve receptors, along with improved timing of the vastus medialis muscle contraction relative to the vastus lateralis muscle (reducing contraction delay) when using the taping technique (29). Theoretically, excessive abduction in the knee joint can increase joint pressure and patellofemoral pain, which taping helps to alleviate (30). Recent studies have highlighted the importance of patellofemoral structure in patients with knee osteoarthritis (31). Involvement of this joint, particularly during activities like climbing stairs, squatting, kneeling, and rising from a chair, can lead to pain (32). Additionally, abnormal patellar alignment and uneven force distribution contribute to these symptoms. Taping the patella can correct its position and enhance the contraction of the internal oblique head of the quadriceps femoris muscle, thereby reducing pain (33).

Ethical Considerations
Compliance with ethical guidelines
There were no ethical considerations to be addressed in this research.
Funding
This research did not receive any financial support from government, private, or non-profit organizations.
Authors' contributions
All authors contributed equally to preparing the article.
Conflicts of interest
The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest associated with this article.