Effect of Kinesio Taping and Sham Taping in Knee Osteoarthritis

Effect of Kinesio Taping and Sham Taping on Knee Function in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: Randomized Clinical Trial

The prevalence of knee osteoarthritis has been increasing in recent decades as the number of obese people has increased. Various interventions are used to improve the functional condition of patients, but it is still not clear which one is most effective. The primary aim of this study was to determine and compare the effects of kinesio taping and sham taping on the knee functional mobility.

The investigators assigned 30 adult participants (26 women, 4 men; mean age 58,1±3,9 yrs) from Lithuania. Participants were assigned to one of three groups: control group (CON) (n = 10), sham taping + exercise (STE) (n = 10), and kinesio taping + exercise (KTE) group (n = 10). Participants performed all necessary tests according to the study protocol one week before the intervention. A second set of tests was performed one week after the intervention. The intervention duration was 1 week. Exercise, sham and kinesio taping were applied by Physical Therapist. All the study groups did exercise training.

Inclusion Criteria:

• clinical and radiography diagnosis of osteoarthritis of the knee joint
• patients with different degrees of severity of the knee osteoarthritis
• consent to participate in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

• rheumatoid arthritis
• systemic connective tissue disease
• knee joint oedema
• surgery intervention in recent 6 months
• wearing of knee braces
• skin problems
• previous total or partial knee replacement surgery
• inability to perform physical examination tests
• oncology
• use of medications, infection
• previous experience of kinesio taping intervention.