title: The effects of Kinesio Taping on body functions and activity in unilateral spastic cerebral palsy: a single-blind randomized controlled trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  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).
  
  
  METHODS
  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).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health Sciences, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ozgun
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kaya Kara
authors.forename: Songul
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Atasavun Uysal
authors.forename: Duygu
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Turker
authors.forename: Sedef
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Karayazgan
authors.forename: Mintaze Kerem
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Gunel
authors.forename: Gul
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baltaci
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D002648:Child; D005121:Extremities / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018953:Kinesiology, Applied / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000503:physiopathology; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D016896:Treatment Outcome