A systematic review of the effectiveness of kinesio taping for musculoskeletal injury
One article on PainSci cites Mostafavifar 2012: The Dubious Science of Kinesiology Tape
original abstract †Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.
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.
related content
- “Effect of kinesiology taping on pain in individuals with musculoskeletal injuries: systematic review and meta-analysis,” Alicia M Montalvo, Ed Le Cara, and Gregory D Myer, Phys Sportsmed, 2014.
- “Kinesio taping in musculoskeletal pain and disability that lasts for more than 4 weeks: is it time to peel off the tape and throw it out with the sweat? A systematic review with meta-analysis focused on pain and also methods of tape application,” Edwin Choon Wyn Lim and Mathew Guo Xiang Tay, British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2015.
- “Kinesio taping in treatment and prevention of sports injuries: a meta-analysis of the evidence for its effectiveness,” Sean Williams, Chris Whatman, Patria A Hume, and Kelly Sheerin, Sports Medicine, 2012.
This page is part of the PainScience BIBLIOGRAPHY, which contains plain language summaries of thousands of scientific papers & others sources. It’s like a highly specialized blog. A few highlights:
- No long-term effects after a three-week open-label placebo treatment for chronic low back pain: a three-year follow-up of a randomized controlled trial. Kleine-Borgmann 2022 Pain.
- Exercise and education versus saline injections for knee osteoarthritis: a randomised controlled equivalence trial. Bandak 2022 Ann Rheum Dis.
- Association of Lumbar MRI Findings with Current and Future Back Pain in a Population-based Cohort Study. Kasch 2022 Spine (Phila Pa 1976).
- A double-blinded randomised controlled study of the value of sequential intravenous and oral magnesium therapy in patients with chronic low back pain with a neuropathic component. Yousef 2013 Anaesthesia.
- Is Neck Posture Subgroup in Late Adolescence a Risk Factor for Persistent Neck Pain in Young Adults? A Prospective Study. Richards 2021 Phys Ther.