The clinical efficacy of kinesio tape for shoulder pain: a randomized, double-blinded, clinical trial.
METHODS
Prospective, randomized, double-blinded, clinical trial using a repeated-measures design.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the short-term clinical efficacy of Kinesio Tape (KT) when applied to college students with shoulder pain, as compared to a sham tape application.


BACKGROUND
Tape is commonly used as an adjunct for treatment and prevention of musculoskeletal injuries. A majority of tape applications that are reported in the literature involve nonstretch tape. The KT method has gained significant popularity in recent years, but there is a paucity of evidence on its use.


METHODS
Forty-two subjects clinically diagnosed with rotator cuff tendonitis/impingement were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups: therapeutic KT group or sham KT group. Subjects wore the tape for 2 consecutive 3-day intervals. Self-reported pain and disability and pain-free active ranges of motion (ROM) were measured at multiple intervals to assess for differences between groups.


RESULTS
The therapeutic KT group showed immediate improvement in pain-free shoulder abduction (mean +/- SD increase, 16.9 degrees +/- 23.2 degrees ; P = .005) after tape application. No other differences between groups regarding ROM, pain, or disability scores at any time interval were found.


CONCLUSIONS
KT may be of some assistance to clinicians in improving pain-free active ROM immediately after tape application for patients with shoulder pain. Utilization of KT for decreasing pain intensity or disability for young patients with suspected shoulder tendonitis/impingement is not supported.


METHODS
Therapy, level 1b-.
Thelen
Mark D
MD
Physical Therapy Service, Winn Army Community Hospital, Fort Stewart, GA, USA. mark.thelen@us.army.mil
Dauber
James A
JA
Stoneman
Paul D
PD
D000328:Adult; D001458:Bandages; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D020069:Shoulder Pain / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome