The Efficacy and Treatment Fidelity of Kinesiology Taping in Conjunction With Conservative Treatment Interventions Among Individuals With Shoulder Pain: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.
Paul A Salamh, William J Hanney, Christopher S Cory and 3 others
PMID 34123514WHAT IT FOUND
Adding kinesiology tape to shoulder exercises showed no significant pain reduction, but suggested large improvements in disability and range of motion.
However, most studies had poor treatment fidelity, meaning the tape application was inconsistent, so these positive findings are unreliable.
Key findings
01The meta-analysis for pain showed a small effect size in favor of the experimental group, but the difference was not statistically significant.
02Meta-analyses for disability and range of motion showed large and statistically significant effect sizes in favor of the experimental group.
03Only two of the ten included studies were identified as having good treatment fidelity, suggesting the majority of studies could have been influenced by a lack of adherence to protocols.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Most of the included studies had poor treatment fidelity, meaning it is uncertain whether the tape was applied in the same way each time, which makes the results difficult to replicate or trust. There was significant statistical heterogeneity in all outcomes (pain, disability, and range of motion), indicating that the studies varied widely in their results beyond what would be expected by chance. The methodological quality of the included studies varied, with some having low scores, and only two studies clearly described the accuracy and reliability of their outcome measures. The review only included studies published in English and did not search grey literature, which may have missed relevant unpublished data.
Declared interests
The authors report no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the large, statistically significant improvements in disability and range of motion as proof that kinesiology tape works. The authors note that most studies had poor treatment fidelity, meaning the tape application was inconsistent or poorly described, which undermines the validity of these positive findings.