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Kinesio taping in treatment and prevention of sports injuries: a meta-analysis of the evidence for its effectiveness.
Williams S, Whatman C, Hume PA, Sheerin K. Sports Med. 2012 Feb 1;42(2):153-64.
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Kinesio tape (KT) is an elastic therapeutic tape used for treating sports injuries and a variety of other disorders. Chiropractor, Dr Kenso Kase, developed KT taping techniques in the 1970s. It is claimed that KT supports injured muscles and joints and helps relieve pain by lifting the skin and allowing improved blood and lymph flow. The profile of KT rose after the tape was donated to 58 countries for use during the 2008 Olympic Games, and was seen on high-profile athletes. Practitioners are asking whether they should use KT over other elastic adhesive tapes. The aim of this review was to evaluate, using meta-analysis, the effectiveness of KT in the treatment and prevention of sports injuries. Electronic databases including SPORTDiscus, Scopus, MEDLINE, ScienceDirect and sports medicine websites were searched using keywords 'kinesio taping/tape'. From 97 articles, ten met the inclusion criteria (article reported data for effect of KT on a musculoskeletal outcome and had a control group) and were retained for meta-analyses. Magnitude-based inferences were used to assess clinical worth of positive outcomes reported in studies. Only two studies investigated sports-related injuries (shoulder impingement), and just one of these involved injured athletes. Studies attending to musculoskeletal outcomes in healthy participants were included on the basis that these outcomes may have implications for the prevention of sporting injuries. The efficacy of KT in pain relief was trivial given there were no clinically important results. There were inconsistent range-of-motion outcome results, with at least small beneficial results seen in two studies, but trivial results in two other studies across numerous joint measurements. There was a likely beneficial effect for proprioception regarding grip force sense error, but no positive outcome for ankle proprioception. Seven outcomes relating to strength were beneficial, although there were numerous trivial findings for quadriceps and hamstrings peak torque, and grip strength measures. KT had some substantial effects on muscle activity, but it was unclear whether these changes were beneficial or harmful. In conclusion, there was little quality evidence to support the use of KT over other types of elastic taping in the management or prevention of sports injuries. KT may have a small beneficial role in improving strength, range of motion in certain injured cohorts and force sense error compared with other tapes, but further studies are needed to confirm these findings. The amount of case study and anecdotal support for KT warrants well designed experimental research, particularly pertaining to sporting injuries, so that practitioners can be confident that KT is beneficial for their athletes.
I use Kinesiotape on a daily basis now. Initially sceptical, particularly in light of the lack of good evidence in the literature, but I have been amazed at some of the results I've had.
I have to say that not all kinesiotape brands are equal when it comes to the foot and ankle application in my opinion - I've found Rocktape is far superior to the others.
The pathology I have had some of the best and most astounding results with (believe it or not) is the symptomatic HAV. As far as anecdotal evidence is concerned, in the last few weeks I have taped 7 patients bunions, and 6 of them absolutely loved it (one of which reported he could play 5-a-side football without pain the following morning for the first time in years). The one patient who didn't like it took it off as she experienced a cramp like sensation in Abductor Hallucis.
Judging by the amount of Kinesio tape flying around at the Olympics, you would think that it was the new penecillin
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The claims must not appear again in their current form. We told LimbVolume to ensure they hold adequate substantiation for the claims they make in future.
__________________ Craig Payne
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This article may explain some of the perceived "therapeutic effects" from Kinesio tape.
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Effects of color on emotions.
Valdez, Patricia; Mehrabian, Albert
Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, Vol 123(4), Dec 1994, 394-409. doi: 10.1037/0096-3445.123.4.394
Abstract
Emotional reactions to color hue, saturation, and brightness (Munsell color system and color chips) were investigated using the Pleasure-Arousal-Dominance emotion model. Saturation (S) and brightness (B) evidenced strong and consistent effects on emotions. Regression equations for standardized variables were: Pleasure = .69B + .22S, Arousal = -.31B + .60S, Dominance = -.76B + .32S. Brightness effects were nearly the same for chromatic and achromatic colors. Blue, blue-green, green, red-purple, purple, and purple-blue were the most pleasant hues, whereas yellow and green-yellow were the least pleasant. Green-yellow, blue-green, and green were the most arousing, whereas purple-blue and yellow-red were the least arousing. Green-yellow induced greater dominance than red-purple. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
__________________
Sincerely,
Kevin
**************************************************
Kevin A. Kirby, DPM
Adjunct Associate Professor
Department of Applied Biomechanics
California School of Podiatric Medicine at Samuel Merritt College
This article may explain some of the perceived "therapeutic effects" from Kinesio tape.
I've probably said this before, but its worth putting out there again in the hope that someone might follow-up on it. Some years ago we performed a study in which we treated patients who presented with plantar fasciitis with prefabricated foot orthoses. Half of the subjects got the devices in green- a colour associated with health; half of the subjects got the same devices but coloured black- a colour associated with death and decay. As it turned out, we didn't get enough subjects as this was an undergraduate study, yet there was a clear trend for those with the green orthoses to improve in terms of their visual analogue pain scores more than those who received the black devices.
Immediate Effect of Kinesio Taping on Muscle Response in Young Elite Soccer Players
Moisés De Hoyo; Alejandro Álvarez-Mesa; Borja Sañudo; Luis Carrasco, Sergio Domínguez Journal of Sports Rehabilitation (in press)
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Context: Kinesio taping (KT) is a new taping technique increasingly used in sports medicine to improve muscle performance, however, its real effect is not entirely known.
Objective: To assess the immediate effects of KT on muscle performance in young health elite soccer players.
Design: Cross-over study. Setting: University Lab. Participants: Eighteen young elite soccer players voluntary participated in the study (mean ± SEM: 18.20 ± 2.45 years; height, 1.76 ± 3.56 m; body mass 65.25 ± 3.76 kg, BMI, 20.12 ± 1.25 kg·m-2).
Interventions: Each subject completed two different protocols, with (KTi) and without KT (NKTi). Interventions were performed in a random order with a washout period between each condition of 1 week.
Main outcome measures: Outcome measures included tensiomyographic response in vastus lateralis (VL) and vastus medialis (VM), power output with 30 and 50 kg, countermovement jump (CMJ) and 10-m sprint. Results: Data showed no significant differences for any of the outcomes analyzed between interventions.
Conclusions: It can be concluded that the application of KT does not produce a short-term improvement in muscle performance in young elite soccer players.
Aim. To evaluate the effectiveness of kinesiotaping in the treatment of soft tissue injuries of adolescent football players. Material and methods. 30 players with soft tissue injuries of the lower limb were randomly assigned to one of the two groups: a study (15) or a control group (15). The subjects ranged from 12 to 15 years of age. The control group received traditional physiotherapeutic treatment for their injuries. The study group received the traditional treatment plus additional kinesiotaping treatment. The effectiveness of kinesiotaping was evaluated based on three variables: range of joint motion, level of pain during the muscle resistance tests, and proprioception during the one-leg standing test. Data were measured three times: on the first, third, and seventh day following the incident (1, 3, 7). Results. The results show a statistically significant decrease in pain intensity in both groups on each day when data were recorded. Concerning proprioception, the time of standing on the contused limb was increasing in both groups. However, the results do not show significant differences between the groups on days when measurements were taken. The results of the range of motion deficit show a statistically significant decrease relative to the amount of time since injury. On the seventh day, a lower deficit in the study group was noted in comparison to the control group. However, players in both groups did not reach full range of motion. Conclusions. (1) Kinesiotaping is an effective method in pain reduction in soft tissue injuries. It can assist practitioners as a complementary method in rehabilitation treatment of soft tissue injuries in adolescent athletes. (2) Faster post-injury pain reduction implies earlier return to full athletic activity. (3) The applied kinesiotaping techniques (muscle and lymphatic correction) do not effect improvement of proprioception in injured athletes.
LOWER-LEG KINESIO® TAPE APPLICATION REDUCES RATE OF LOADING IN SUBJECTS WITH MEDIAL TIBIAL STRESS SYNDROME
Maggie Carson Griebert Honors Thesis; University of Delware 2012 (PDF file)
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The purpose of this study was to determine if lower-leg Kinesio® taping has an effect on the rate of loading in subjects with medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS). MTSS, commonly referred to as shin splints, is a common overuse injury that occurs in athletes. One of the major intrinsic risk factors of MTSS is an increase in pronation during the loading phase of gait. This study tested the effect of Kinesio® tape on rate of loading during gait in 20 healthy control subjects and 20 subjects with a history of MTSS. Subjects walked across a Tekscan® plantar pressure mat under 3 conditions: prior to tape application, immediately after tape application and after wearing the tape for 24-hours. Time-to-peak force (TTPF) measurements were recorded to measure rate of loading and compared between groups and across the three conditions in six areas of the foot using an analysis of variance. There was a significant interaction effect between group, condition, and foot area (F = 1.990, p = 0.033). Healthy subjects showed significantly higher TTPF values in the medial midfoot before tape application (p = 0.021) and MTSS subjects showed a significant increase in TTPF with tape application for the medial midfoot and lateral forefoot (p = 0.022, p=0.043, p = 0.031). Our results suggest that Kinesio® tape use may decrease the rate of loading in subjects with MTSS. This may be clinically significant in helping with the treatment of MTSS. Future research should assess how muscle activity is altered by tape use.
Kinesio(®) Tex tape (KTT) is used in a variety of clinical settings. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of KTT from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in the management of clinical conditions. A systematic literature search of CINAHL; MEDLINE; OVID; AMED; SCIENCE DIRECT; PEDRO; www.internurse.com; SPORT DISCUS; BRITISH NURSING INDEX; www.kinesiotaping.co.uk;www.kinesiotaping.com; COCHRANE CENTRAL REGISTER OF CLINICAL TRIALS; and PROQUEST was performed up to April 2012. The risk of bias and quality of evidence grading was performed using the Cochrane collaboration methodology. Eight RCTs met the full inclusion/exclusion criteria. Six of these included patients with musculoskeletal conditions; one included patients with breast-cancer-related lymphedema; and one included stroke patients with muscle spasticity. Six studies included a sham or usual care tape/bandage group. There was limited to moderate evidence that KTT is no more clinically effective than sham or usual care tape/bandage. There was limited evidence from one moderate quality RCT that KTT in conjunction with physiotherapy was clinically beneficial for plantar fasciitis related pain in the short term; however, there are serious questions around the internal validity of this RCT. There currently exists insufficient evidence to support the use of KTT over other modalities in clinical practice.
The kinesio taping is a technique that was created in 1979 by Doctor Kenzo Kase I’m looking through it that could generate a new therapeutic option to control pain, improve athletic performance and reduce the impact of musculoskeletal disorders. From the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, this technique as a therapeutic alternative PTO and is composed of health professionals in the field of sport and physical rehabilitation.Objetive: This article aims to identify theoretical approaches on the bandage neuromuscular. Material and methods: held today, for which conducted a literature search of databases such as como Proquest, Ovid, Cochraine, PEDro, Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical, Sciencedirect, Pubmed y Literatura Latinoamericana y del Caribe en Ciencias de la Salud (Lilacs).The paper proposes a scheme of contextualization of the current landscape of the use and effects of kinesio taping in the management of different pathologies of the musculo-skeletal system in sports. Conclusion: it is concluded that currently many health professionals, and take the neuromuscular bandage a good therapeutic option in the management of diseases affecting the human body is investigated and every day more about the subject, which makes these new therapeutic methods to acquire a scientific value and transcends knowledge.
At a 'mini'- seminar recently, the local representative, an exercise physiologist, stated that 'lifting the fascia apart' may be the mechanism.
If the fascia are parallel to the skin surface / KT than a force vector must be perpendicular to 'lift' the fascia. How would KT tape, in parallel with the fascia, apply a perpendicular force vector?
At a 'mini'- seminar recently, the local representative, an exercise physiologist, stated that 'lifting the fascia apart' may be the mechanism.
If the fascia are parallel to the skin surface / KT than a force vector must be perpendicular to 'lift' the fascia. How would KT tape, in parallel with the fascia, apply a perpendicular force vector?
G'day Mark
The way I have heard this explained (and that is not to say I subscribe to the theory) is that if you apply the tape with tension/stretch then it will try to gather itself once in situ and in turn 'lift' the skin/fascial layers. A simplified way of visualising this is to put a tight t-shirt on, apply some tape to it with 80% stretch and then see what it does to the t-shirt.
... is that if you apply the tape with tension/stretch then it will try to gather itself once in situ and in turn 'lift' the skin/fascial layers. A simplified way of visualising this is to put a tight t-shirt on, apply some tape to it with 80% stretch and then see what it does to the t-shirt.......
Thanks for the article. I suggested this may be a reason but he was adamant there is no stretch when applying KT, "that's why it wrinkles".
The tape 'gathers itself' in the 'path of least resistance', which would be away from the skin?
The way I have heard this explained (and that is not to say I subscribe to the theory) is that if you apply the tape with tension/stretch then it will try to gather itself once in situ and in turn 'lift' the skin/fascial layers. A simplified way of visualising this is to put a tight t-shirt on, apply some tape to it with 80% stretch and then see what it does to the t-shirt.
Sounds like BS to me especially since the tape can offer virtually no resistance to bending moments, which would be required of a material adhered to the skin to offer such a mechanical action on the subcutaneous fascia.
__________________
Sincerely,
Kevin
**************************************************
Kevin A. Kirby, DPM
Adjunct Associate Professor
Department of Applied Biomechanics
California School of Podiatric Medicine at Samuel Merritt College
Thanks Kevin, I assume you give me permission to quote you, Mark
Yes, Mark, you can quote me on that one. That is pure balderdash, if you ask me.
__________________
Sincerely,
Kevin
**************************************************
Kevin A. Kirby, DPM
Adjunct Associate Professor
Department of Applied Biomechanics
California School of Podiatric Medicine at Samuel Merritt College
Context: Kinesio Tex tape is a therapeutic tape that is applied with the Kinesio-taping (KT) method and is theorized to increase circulation and subsequently improve muscle function. However, little research has been conducted to determine how KT affects performance.
Objective: To determine the effect of KT on muscular endurance ratio, blood flow, circumference, and volume of the gastrocnemius muscle.
Design: Randomized controlled clinical trial.
Setting: Research laboratory.
Patients or Other Participants: Sixty-one healthy, active people (23 men, 38 women; age = 19.99 ± 8.01 years, height = 169.42 ± 23.62 cm, mass = 71.53 ± 36.77 kg) volunteered to participate. They were assigned randomly to 1 of 3 groups: treatment KT, sham KT, and control.
Intervention(s): Tape was applied based on group assignment. The treatment KT group received the ankle-tape technique as described in the KT manual. The sham KT group received 1 strip of Kinesio Tex tape around the circumference of the proximal gastrocnemius muscle. The control group did not receive tape application.
Main Outcome Measure(s): The dependent variables were blood flow in blood perfusion units, volume of water displacement in milliliters, circumference of the gastrocnemius muscle in centimeters, and endurance ratio in joules measured before, 24 hours after, and 72 hours after the intervention. Separate repeated-measures analyses of variance were conducted for each dependent variable.
Results: We found no group-by-test day interaction for endurance ratios (F4,116 = 1.99, P = .10). Blood flow, circumference, and volume measurements also yielded no differences among groups (F2,58 range, 0.02-0.51; P > .05) or test days (F2,116 range, 0.05-2.33; P > .05).
Conclusions: We found KT does not enhance anaerobic muscle function measured by endurance ratio. The KT also did not affect circulation or volume of the gastrocnemius muscle in a healthy population.
Objective: Kinesio taping (KT) is used to prevent and treat musculoskeletal injuries. This systematic review examines the evidence for the effectiveness of KT in improving patient outcomes following musculoskeletal injury.
Materials and Methods: A literature search (October 2011) was performed using PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, SportsDiscus, and Cochrane databases. The literature search employed the keywords "kinesio tap*" or "kinesiotap*" or "athletic tap*" and "performance" or "function" or "strength" or "activity" or "pain" or "muscle" and "athlet*" or "sport*." These searches yielded a total of 727 articles, which were reviewed thoroughly to identify suitable articles.
Results: Six studies met our criteria and were included in this systematic review. Two of these studies examined musculoskeletal injuries in the lower extremity and reported that the use of KT did not affect outcome measures. Two studies examined musculoskeletal injuries involving the spine. Treatment with KT significantly improved pain levels and range of motion in patients with acute whiplash-associated disorders of the cervical spine both immediately and 24 hours after injury; however, the long-term results did not differ between the 2 groups. Subjects with chronic low back pain treated with KT and exercise, KT alone, or exercise alone experienced significant improvement in short-term pain, while the exercise-only group also showed significantly less long-term disability. Two studies examined musculoskeletal injuries in the shoulder. The first of these found insufficient evidence to indicate that KT decreases pain and disability in young patients with shoulder impingement/tendinitis, while the second suggested that KT may provide short-term pain relief for patients with shoulder impingement.
This systematic review found insufficient evidence to support the use of KT following musculoskeletal injury, although a perceived benefit cannot be discounted. There are few high-quality studies examining the use of KT following musculoskeletal injury.
A randomized controlled trial of a mixed Kinesio taping–compression technique on venous symptoms, pain, peripheral venous flow, clinical severity and overall health status in postmenopausal women with chronic venous insufficiency
Mª Encarnación Aguilar-Ferrándiz et al Clin Rehabil February 20, 2013 0269215512469120
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Objectives: To investigate the effect of a mixed Kinesio taping treatment in women with chronic venous insufficiency.
Design: A double-blinded randomized clinical trial.
Setting: Clinical setting.
Participants: One hundred and twenty postmenopausal women with mild–moderate chronic venous insufficiency were randomly assigned to an experimental group receiving standardized Kinesio taping treatment for gastrocnemius muscle enhancement and ankle functional correction, or to a placebo control group for simulated Kinesio taping.
Main outcomes variables: Venous symptoms, pain, photoplethysmographic measurements, bioelectrical impedance, temperature, severity and overall health were recorded at baseline and after four weeks of treatment.
Results: The 2 × 2 mixed model ANCOVA with repeated measurements showed statistically significant group * time interaction for heaviness (F = 22.99, p = 0.002), claudication (F = 8.57, p = 0.004), swelling (F = 22.58, p = 0.001), muscle cramps (F = 7.14, p = 0.008), venous refill time (right: F = 9.45, p = 0.023; left: F = 14.86, p = 0.001), venous pump function (right: F = 35.55, p = 0.004; left: F = 17.39 p = 0.001), extracellular water (right: F = 35.55, p = 0.004; left: F = 23.84, p = 0.001), severity (F = 18.47, p = 0.001), physical function (F = 9.15, p = 0.003) and body pain (F = 3.36, p = 0.043). Both groups reported significant reduction in pain.
Conclusion: Mixed Kinesio taping-compression therapy improves symptoms, peripheral venous flow and severity and slightly increases overall health status in females with mild chronic venous insufficiency. Kinesio taping may have a placebo effect on pain.
With access to the complete text for the above abstract all might be answered but what are: gastrocnemius muscle enhancement" and "simulated Kinesio taping"?
The Effect of Kinesio Taping on Static Balance, Proprioception, and Maximum Strength of Lower Limb in Children Ching-hui Huang; Master's Thesis
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The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effect of Kinesio taping on children, and whether this method could improve the sensitivity of proprioception before exercise injury and lower the diseases of the knee joints.
Method: Subjects were 12 students in fifth and six grades that have joined school sport training groups. Compare the knees’ static balance, proprioception, and maximum strength before and after using the kinesion taping. The static balance was tested 3 times, the longest performance were recorded, in each student. Proprioception was set up 30°, 45°, 60° to evaluate the knee joint reset. Maximum strength performed at the speed of 60°/s by BIODEX.
Result: static balance was significant increased after kinesion taping (20.93 ± 22.25s vs. 35.51 ± 41.18s). Proprioception was significant increased after kinesion taping at 45°and 60°. Maximum strength was significant increased after kinesion taping (80.60 ± 25.51kg vs. 92.72 ± 27.29kg).
Conclusion: kinesion taping could apply to children to increase static balance, proprioception, and maximum muscle strength.
Effect of Kinesio Taping on Jumping and Balance in Athletes: A Cross-Over Randomized Controlled Trial
Nunes, Guilherme S; de Noronha, Marcos; Cunha, Helder Souza; Ruschel, Caroline; Borges, Noé G. Jr Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research: 22 February 2013
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The purpose of this cross-over randomized controlled trial was to verify the effect of KT applied to the triceps surae with the aim to improve muscle performance during vertical jump (VJ), horizontal jump (HJ), and dynamic balance (DB) in healthy college athletes. The participants were 20 athletes (11 male) who competed in four different sports modalities (track and field, handball, volleyball and soccer). Participants had a mean age of 22.3 +/- 3.3 years, mean height of 1.74 +/- 0.08 m, and mean body mass of 67.8 +/- 10.1 kg. The intervention consisted of applying KT from the origin of the triceps surae to its insertion with the purpose of increasing muscle performance; and the placebo consisted of applying tape with non-elastic properties. There were no significant differences between KT and placebo conditions for height (m) in VJ (KT, 0.18 +/- 0.06; placebo, 0.17 +/- 0.06; p = 0.14), distance (m) in HJ (KT, 1.48 +/- 0.3; placebo, 1.47 +/- 0.3; p = 0.40), and DB in distance reached (m) in the star excursion balance test, normalized by lower limb length (anterior: KT, 90.0 +/- 6.7; placebo, 89.5 +/- 7.5; p = 0.56; posterolateral: KT, 92.5 +/- 7.5; placebo, 93.2 +/- 5.8; p = 0.52; posteromedial: KT, 98.3 +/- 6.7; placebo, 98.7 +/- 7.4; p = 0.69). The KT technique was not found to be useful in improving performance in some sports-related movements in healthy college athletes, therefore KT applied to the triceps surae should not be considered by athletes when the sole reason of the application is to increase performance during jumping and balance.
The Acute Effects of Kinesio Tape™ On Athletic Performance in Healthy Individuals
Kara F. Solomon, Scott P. McLean, Jimmy Smith IJESAB > Vol. 2 > Iss. 5 (2013)
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Kinesio Tape™ (KT) is an elastic therapeutic tape used to facilitate treatment of sports injuries. Use of KT to facilitate performance in healthy individuals is growing in popularity despite a lack of evidence to support this use.
PURPOSE: To investigate the acute effects of using KT on performance in agility, sprinting, and strength tasks.
METHODS: Eight female college athletes (20.2±1.7 yrs, 75.5±9.6 kg, 165.1± 9.1 cm) performed a 40 yard linear sprint, a 20 yard agility run, and a maximal effort isokinetic knee extension task under three taping conditions; KT, placebo KT, and no tape. In addition to the measured performance, after each trial, each participant provided a rating of perceived performance. One-Way Repeated measures ANOVA’s were used to assess changes in dependent variables across taping conditions.
RESULTS: KT was not found to improve any measure of performance (p>0.38) or perception of performance (p>0.17)
CONCULSION: These data suggest that KT does not improve performance in healthy athletes and has no consistent placebo effect on female athletes.
Does Kinesio taping work?
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