Does tension applied in kinesio taping affect pain or function in older women with knee osteoarthritis? A randomised controlled trial

Abstract

ObjectiveTo analyse the short-term effects of kinesio taping (KT) with tension (KTT) or without tension (KTNT) in older women with knee osteoarthritis (KOA), and compare them to controls who did not receive KT.DesignRandomised controlled trial.SettingUniversity physiotherapy school clinic.ParticipantsForty-five older women (fifteen participants per group) with 66.8 (±5.6) years and clinical diagnosis of KOA were assessed pre, post and 3 days after intervention.InterventionsParticipants were randomly allocated to KTT, who received two simultaneous applications of KT with tension on the knee and rectus femoris; KTNT, who received the same application as the KTT group, but without tension and a control group that attended a class on KOA.Primary and secondary outcome measuresPrimary outcome was pain intensity and secondary outcomes were knee-related health status, functional capacity, muscle strength and global rating of change.ResultsNo between-group differences were observed in pain after the first intervention (KTT vs KTNT: mean difference (MD), −1.8 points; 95% CI −4.2 to 0.5; KTT vs control: MD, −1.2 points; 95% CI −3.6 to 1.2; KTNT vs control: MD, 0.66 points; 95% CI −1.7 to 3.0) or 3 days later (KTT vs KTNT: MD, −1.3 points; 95% CI −3.7 to 1.0; KTT vs control: MD, 0.13 points; 95% CI −2.2 to 2.5; KTNT vs control: MD, 1.4 points; 95% CI −0.9 to 3.8). The lack of between-group differences was also found for secondary outcomes.ConclusionThe short-term use of KT with or without tension in older woman with KOA had no beneficial effects on pain and function. These findings call into question the clinical use of KT as a non-pharmacological therapy for this population.Trial registration numberNCT03624075.

The Effectiveness of Kinesio Taping on Pain and Function in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized, Single-Blind, Controlled Study

“…Two other studies evaluating the effects of KT on pain and functionality in knee osteoarthritis also reported that there were no statistically significant effects of KT application on any parameter. 12,22 In our study, an additional benefit of KT to exercises was not shown in patients with knee osteoarthritis in terms of pain and functionality.…”

Investigation of the instant effect of Kinesio Taping on the rectus femoris muscle on pain and functional disability in knee osteoarthritis patients

“…Pinherio et al 27 concluded that the change in the WOMAC results of a single session of kinesiology taping applied to knee OA patients in the intervention group was not different from the placebo group. We also obtained a similar result for WOMAC pain and function in our study.…”