Purpose: To investigate the effects of prolonged taping on patellofemoral pain (PFP). Methods: A literature search of PubMed, EMBASE (Elsevier), CiNAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Scopus, and Web of Science was conducted from database inception to 28 June 2024. Eligible studies reported PFP patients over 18 years of age undergoing an exercise protocol with additional taping that was maintained outside of exercise sessions (PROSPERO ID: CRD42023422792). Results: Seventeen studies met the eligibility criteria with 348 patients (n = 221 Kinesio taping, McConnell taping n = 127). For pain, the Kinesio baseline scores were 5.73 (95% CI: 4.73–6.73, I²= 97%), and the McConnell scores were 5.05 (95% CI: 3.82–6.28, I² = 95%). At the combined recent follow-up, the Kinesio scores were 2.14 (95% CI: 1.11–3.18, I² = 98%), and the McConnell scores were 2.58 (95% CI: 0.79–4.37, I² = 98%). For functionality, the Kinesio baseline scores were 64.19 (95% CI: 53.70–74.68, I² = 98%), and the McConnell scores were 68.02 (95% CI: 65.76–70.28, I² = 0%). At the combined recent follow-up, the Kinesio scores were 84.23 (95% CI: 79.44–89.01, I² = 95%), and the McConnell scores were 86.00 (95% CI: 83.82–88.17, I² = 0%). The minimum clinically important difference (MCID) was achieved for both modalities at 6 weeks and beyond. Conclusions: Prolonged taping that remains on PFP patients outside of isolated exercise sessions appears beneficial in reducing pain and increasing functionality.

Background/Objectives: There exists a need to capture the current landscape of the literature for lumbar decompression on muscle strength, as measured by manual muscle testing (MMT), in cohorts with foot drop secondary to lumbar degenerative disease (LDD). Methods: A literature search of PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Scopus, and Web of Science was conducted from each database’s inception to 21 March 2025. Eligible studies reported patients with LDD-related foot drop treated surgically. This review was registered in PROSPERO (ID: CRD42024550980). Results: A total of 20 studies comprising 918 patients met the eligibility criteria, with most cases attributable to lumbar disc herniation (79% of patients, 95% CI: 0.72–0.85, I² = 96%) or spinal stenosis (22% of patients, 95% CI: 0.15–0.30, I² = 96%). Following surgery, 60% of patients (95% CI: 0.44–0.75, I² = 97%) achieved an MMT score of 4–5, indicating recovery, while 82% (95% CI: 0.76–0.88, I² = 89%) demonstrated an improvement of at least one MMT grade. No improvement was seen in 18% of patients (95% CI: 0.12–0.24, I² = 89%). For pain, the preoperative VAS mean was 5.91 (95% CI: 4.21–7.60, I² = 99%), while the postoperative mean was 1.00 (95% CI: −0.05–2.06, I² = 99%). Overall complications were reported at 1% (95% CI: −0.00–0.02, I² = 0%). Conclusions: Lumbar decompression achieves clinically meaningful recovery of LDD-induced foot drop. However, this meta-analysis highlights the overlooked portion of patients who will not respond, providing a sequential approach for future investigation of these cohorts through foundational evidence of the present literature base.