AIM The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Kinesio Taping (KT) on the body functions and activity of children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy (CP).METHOD This study was designed as a single-blind, randomized, controlled trial. Thirty children with unilateral spastic CP were randomized and split equally between the KT group (eight males, seven females; mean age 9y [SD 2y 3mo] range 7-12y) and the control group (seven males, eight females; mean age 9y 7mo [SD 3y 4mo] range 7-14y) receiving usual care. All participants were evaluated with the Functional Independence Measure for Children (WeeFIM), the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOTMP), the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM), short-term muscle power, agility and functional muscle strength tests. Wilcoxon signed-rank and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to evaluate within and between-group differences respectively. The level of significance was accepted as p<0.05.RESULTS There were significant differences in muscle power sprint (p=0.003), lateral step-up test right (p=0.016), sit to stand (p=0.018), attain stand through half knee right (p=0.003), BOTMP Gross scores (p=0.019), and WeeFIM total (p=0.003) and self-care scores (p=0.022) between the groups (p<0.05).INTERPRETATION Kinesio Taping is a promising additional approach to increase proprioceptive feedback and improve physical fitness, gross motor function, and activities of daily living in children with CP.Motor dysfunction in cerebral palsy (CP) is frequently related to muscle weakness. Impairments in sensory integration and balance, spasticity, co-activation of agonist and antagonist muscles, lack of selective motor control, and decreased anaerobic muscle power and agility cause impairment of body structures/functions and activity limitation.
1,2Common therapy approaches (including orthosis, botulinum toxin, constraint-induced movement therapy and neurodevelopmental therapy) focus on enhancing postural control and muscle strength, improving motor activity in the upper and lower limbs, and improving walking.3,4 Over the past decade, the use of evidence-based interventions in CP treatment has gradually increased and investigators have tried to develop more effective interventions to improve the quality of life of these children and their families. A recent review has reported that interventions based on motor learning increase activity levels in children with CP.5 Therefore, using taping in CP might be a promising technique to ensure such improvement. 6,7 Kinesio Taping (KT) is commonly used in sport injuries, in neurology and oncology patients following the surgical protocols, and for paediatric rehabilitation to reduce pain, facilitate or inhibit muscle activity, prevent injuries, reposition joints, aid the lymphatic system, support postural alignment, and improve proprioception. [7][8][9] Although its mechanism of action has not been fully understood, it is believed that activation of the cutaneous receptors could influence neuromuscular functions. 10 The cutaneous sen...
