Effects of multidirectional elastic tape on pain and function in individuals with lateral elbow tendinopathy: A randomised crossover trial.
Caitlin E Hill, Luke J Heales, Robert Stanton and 1 others
PMID 36727206WHAT IT FOUND
Tensioned multidirectional elastic tape did not improve pain-free grip strength or pressure pain thresholds in people with lateral elbow tendinopathy.
While 26% of participants showed a meaningful individual improvement in grip strength, the group average showed no benefit over control tape or no tape.
Key findings
01There were no statistically significant changes in pain-free grip strength or pressure pain threshold after tensioned tape application, compared to control tape or no tape.
02Seven of the 27 participants (26%) showed an increase in pain-free grip strength in the extended position above the minimum detectable change following tensioned tape, compared to only one participant (4%) for each the control tape and no tape conditions.
03The study examined immediate and post-exercise effects of tensioned multidirectional elastic tape, control (untensioned) tape, and no tape in individuals with clinically diagnosed lateral elbow tendinopathy.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study only examined immediate effects and effects after a short exercise circuit, not longer-term use during daily activities. Participants could not be blinded to the no-tape condition, and the assessor could not be blinded to any condition. The sample size (27) was powered to detect a specific interaction effect, which may limit the detection of smaller individual benefits. Only one strip of tape was applied; previous research suggests double layers or different application techniques (like diamond deloading) might have different effects.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. Funding was received from a Sports Medicine Australia Research Foundation Grant for advertising and participant reimbursement. The tape used (ActiveTape®) was supplied by Strapit Medical & Sports Supplies Pty. Ltd., though the funders played no role in data collection, analysis, or interpretation.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume the tape works for everyone because 26% of participants showed a meaningful individual improvement. The group-level analysis showed no significant benefit over control tape or no tape, meaning the average patient in this study did not get better immediately from the tensioned tape.