The effectiveness of Kinesio Taping® for pain management in knee osteoarthritis: a randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial

Abstract

Background: Kinesio Taping® method is a nonpharmacological alternative for pain management in musculoskeletal disorders. However, the existing evidence is insufficient to assess its full effectiveness for pain management in knee osteoarthritis (KO). Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Kinesio Taping method in reducing knee pain for KO patients. Methods: In this randomized, double blind, controlled trial, we recruited 187 patients with grade I-III KO who were allocated to either the Kinesio Taping or control group. The study was carried out in outpatient facility. Either Kinesio Taping or nonspecific taping was applied on the affected knee area for 4 weeks. Pain evaluation was performed at baseline, after 1 month of taping and after 1 further month without taping. The data on usage of painkillers were collected; Numeric Pain Rating Scale; an algometer, and Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Scores (KOOS) pain subscale were used to assess pain. Tolerance and subjective opinions toward the effectiveness of taping were evaluated. The chosen level of significance was p < 0.05, ß ⩽ 0.2. Results: The majority (>70%) of both groups’ patients indicated that tapes reduced the knee pain. The reported use of painkillers decreased, in addition to self-reported increase in the KOOS subscale, thereby indicating pain alleviation. All self-reported improvement remained at the 1-month follow up ( p < 0.05). Significantly higher and clinically meaningful reduction of pain intensity was found in the Kinesio Taping group after the treatment month, in comparison with the control group ( p < 0.05). More pain reduction was reported in the daytime for participants in the Kinesio Taping group at the follow up ( p = 0.022). No changes in algometry results were observed. Conclusions: Elastic taping can safely relieve knee pain and reduce the need for pharmacological management in KO. A specific Kinesio Taping technique is clinically more beneficial for knee-pain alleviation in comparison with nonspecific taping. [ ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03076177.]

<p>Effectiveness of Kinesio Taping on the Management of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials</p>

“…The details of 18 included trials that were conducted between 2014 and 2019 are presented in Table 1. Among these trials three of the studies were conducted in Republic of Korea 33,34 and three studies were from Iran, [35][36][37] whereas the other studies were conducted in different countries like Turkey, 38 Lithuania, 39 two studies were conducted in India, 40,41 Italy, 42 Germany 43 Egypt, 44 Myanmar 45 Brazil. 46 A total of 876 patients with knee OA aged from 50 to 77 years old were included in the selected trails.…”

“…Only one trial used Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Scores (KOOS) to measure the physical function of the participants. 39 Pain intensity was measured using the visual Analogue Scale (VAS) in 13 trials ( Table 1).…”

“…Out of 18 trails, 16 of them (n= 798) reported that the number of participants with knee OA who claimed; knee pain was significantly improved in the KT groups compared to the control group. [33][34][35][36]39,40,42,43,45,47,48 However, only two studies (n=81) reported the KT group had no improvement of knee pain compared to that of the control groups. 38,44 A total of 13 studies (n=136) assessed knee pain intensity by using VAS 33,35,36,40,42,45,48 and four studies assessed pain intensity by using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS).…”

“…38,44 A total of 13 studies (n=136) assessed knee pain intensity by using VAS 33,35,36,40,42,45,48 and four studies assessed pain intensity by using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS). 34,39,41,47 Effectiveness of KT on Knee Joint ROM Out of the included trails, seven of them (n=422) had assed ROM. From these, five studies (n= 306) reported that KT has beneficial effects on joint mobility for OA patients compared to the control groups.…”

“…Nine of them (n=609) had reported that KT has beneficial effects on functional activities in OA patients compared to the control groups. 34,35,39,[41][42][43]45,47 Only one study (n=76) showed that KT had no significant effect on knee-related physical function in patients with knee osteoarthritis. 46…”