The Impact of the Use of Kinesio Taping Method on the Reduction of Swelling in Patients After Orthognathic Surgery: A Pilot Study

Abstract

BackgroundOrthognathic surgery (OGS) is associated with extensive surgical intervention within the soft and hard tissues of the facial region of the skull leading to inflammatory reactions. The presence of postoperative swelling indicates the accumulation of exudate or transudate; both these fluids occur in surgery. Massive swelling is a significant problem, because the tension of tissues intensifies pain sensations. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the kinesio taping method (KT) in patients after orthognathic surgery in the area of the facial skull in terms of eliminating postoperative swelling.Material/methodsThe study of the impact of kinesiology tape applied after orthognathic surgery to the craniofacial area on the elimination of swelling was performed in sixteen patients who suffered from this complication after bilateral sagittal split osteotomy.ResultsThe swelling was shown to be reduced after KT; within the same study the differences were statistically significant between the left and right sides and for the same side (p<0.05). The application of the lymphatic kinesio taping method led to the reduction of tension in the affected area and restoration of proper lymphatic circulation in the region covered by swelling. This allows for the improvement of the blood and lymph microcirculation and activation of self-healing processes.ConclusionsThe analysis of the impact of the practical use of the lymphatic KT on complications after orthognathic surgery revealed that it had a beneficial effect on the reduction of swelling. The use of the KT method seems promising because it is simple to carry out, not traumatic, economical and rarely causes undesirable allergies.

Kinesiotaping for postoperative oedema – what is the evidence? A systematic review

“…Two studiesnot included in this review due to the lack of control group in one and the lack of detailed information from a conference abstract in the other-state a benefit of kinesiotape application after penile surgery [28,29], emphasizing the advantageous versatility of the technique that is adaptable to various anatomic regions. One additional study that lacked a control group and was therefore equally excluded in this review concludes a benefit of kinesiotaping after orthognatic surgery for the reduction of postoperative swelling [30]. Fig.…”

“…Considering extremity surgery, manual lymphatic drainage is broadly accepted for the treatment of postoperative and posttraumatic oedema [31][32][33] as well as oedema caused by other pathologies [2,29,30], even though corresponding evidence is conflicting [3,4,34,35]. The application of pneumatic compression was also established as treatment option [36][37][38], although again with limited evidence base [38][39][40][41].…”

Effectiveness of kinesio taping on postoperative morbidity after impacted mandibular third molar surgery: a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical study

“…Postoperative swelling, pain, and limitation of mouth opening are common after impacted third molar surgeries and severely decrease the patients’ quality of life. Despite the increased clinical application of KT in physiotherapy practice, especially after traumatic injuries, only a few studies investigate the effectiveness of KT in OMS literature; two studies showing effects of KT after maxillofacial trauma, 17 , 19 four studies after impacted tooth surgery, 5 , 15 , 16 , 18 two studies after orthognathic surgery, 20 , 21 and one study for temporomandibular joint disorders. 23 However, the aforementioned studies did not include placebo taping.…”

“…Genc, et al 5 (2019) compared the effectiveness of KT and surgical drain on postoperative morbidity after third molar surgery, observing significantly greater swelling and pain in KT group, and comparable occurrence of trismus in both groups. Lietz-Kijak, et al 21 (2018) revealed that KT had beneficial effects on the reduction of facial swelling after orthognathic surgery. Coskun Benlidayi, et al 23 (2016) investigated the efficacy of KT in patients with TMD regarding functional jaw movements, pain scores for joint and masticatory muscles, and depression and disability scores.…”

“…Recent studies evaluated the effects of KT technique after OMS procedures including impacted tooth surgery, maxillofacial trauma and orthognathic surgery. 5 , 15 - 21 Recent studies have shown that KT is a useful method for reducing postoperative morbidity by improving blood and lymphatic circulation. However, to the best our knowledge, previous studies comparing the actual effectiveness of KT technique in OMS area did not include a placebo-taping group.…”