Kinesio Taping vs. Placebo in Reducing Pregnancy-Related Low Back Pain: A Cross-Over Study

Abstract

BackgroundSpinal pain affects approximately 45–56% of pregnant women. Kinesio taping (KT) involves application of flexible water-resistant elastic bands on the patient’s body, resulting in painless and non-invasive stimulation. The aim of the study was to determine the influence of KT on reduction of low back pain in pregnant women.Material/MethodsKinesio Tex Gold tapes were applied using the muscular-ligament technique and Polovis Plus textile cladding blinded the sample. The starting position for the KT and placebo with lumbar spine flexion with rotation was in the opposite direction to the application. An “I”-shaped application was used. The material included 106 women in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, with low back pain. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the Polish version of the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ-2004) were used for pain assessment. Participants were randomly divided into 2 groups. KT and placebo were used alternately in 2 groups.ResultsMean pain intensity on the 2nd and 7th post-application days was significantly lower in the study group than in the control group. Mean scores for the RMDQ differed significantly before and after KT (p<0.0001), and after KT and placebo (p<0.0057), but there are no differences before and after placebo (p<0.67) and before KT and placebo (p<0.59).ConclusionsLow back pain in pregnant women decreased significantly after KT when compared to placebo. The therapeutic effect appeared on day 2 and continued after removal of the tape. The few side effects did not affect the course of the study.

Efficacy of kinesio tape on neck pain and functional disability in pregnant women: a randomized controlled trial

“…Some point out that taping affects the excitability of the central nervous system and improves motor control [25]. That is consistent with others [26], who investigated associations between low-level clinical neck pain/discomfort, and range of motion; with the application of KT, the cervico-thoracic spine movement improved and neck, back, and pelvic-girdle pain decreased [26][27][28][29]. KT can relax and support over-used muscles, normalize muscle tone, increase lymphatic and vascular flow, decrease pain, and contribute to corrections of posture [30].…”

Pengaruh Kinesio Taping terhadap Intensitas Low Back Pain pada Kehamilan Trimester Tiga

“…Skala nyeri diukur pada sebelum aplikasi, sesaat setelah aplikasi, hari ke-2 aplikasi dan hari ke-7 aplikasi kinesio taping menggunakan visual analogue scale (VAS) dengan nilai p<0,0001, dibandingkan pada kelompok placebo dengan nilai p : 0,8087. 12 Penelitian ini sejalan dengan yang telah dilakukan oleh Kaplan dkk, dan Sabbour dkk, Kuciel dkk dan Kalinowski dkk, yaitu terdapat penurunan intensitas nyeri yang signifikan pada kelompok yang diberikan intervensi kinesio taping dibandingkan dengan kelompok kontrol (latihan pelvic titling dan pemberian parasetamol saja).…”

A Short Overview of the Effects of Kinesio Taping for Postural Spine Curvature Disorders

“…KT has been tested as an integrative method in physiotherapy for spine disorder treatment, but there are conflicting opinions. The authors of [ 34 ] demonstrated that the therapeutic effect of spinal manipulation is not enhanced by KT application in chronic non-specific low back pain management in young and adult athletes. However, this study’s findings are in contrast with findings reporting that KT is more effective than manipulation treatment or sham taping on hip muscles activation for improving physical performance and pain management in patients suffering from patellofemoral syndrome [ 45 ].…”

“…However, this study’s findings are in contrast with findings reporting that KT is more effective than manipulation treatment or sham taping on hip muscles activation for improving physical performance and pain management in patients suffering from patellofemoral syndrome [ 45 ]. Kamali et al [ 34 ] utilized KT to test a multimodal approach to the treatment of low back pain, a method already suggested by Gonzales-Iglesias and colleagues [ 35 ] in 2009, who hypothesized the association of KT with already proved efficient interventions, such as exercise therapy in patients suffering from the acute effects of whiplash. Moreover, the KT intervention was compared with cervical thrust manipulation in patients with neck pain, and it turned out that both methods have positive, even clinically relevant, effects on pain relief, but KT has less effect on ROM and disability [ 46 ].…”

“…Several studies focused on spine disorders that, as mentioned above have been determined to involve several factors, including muscle weakness, muscle unbalance [ 4 , 8 ], and also pain [ 30 ] and proprioception alteration [ 31 ]. Studies on KT application have been conducted over the years; however, most of them have focused on the lower back only [ 2 , 26 , 30 ], and just a few have concerned the possible effects on other spine regions and spine deviations in general [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 ]. The aim of this narrative review is to investigate what the literature reports with regard to the application of KT in spine curvature disorders and to determine whether this method may achieve such a substantial and beneficial effect as to be considered as an integrative and non-invasive method to be implemented in addition and/or substitution to traditional rehabilitation programs.…”