Effect of kinesio taping on hemiplegic shoulder pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of kinesio taping for the management of hemiplegic shoulder pain. Data sources: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, CENTRAL, CNKI, Wan Fang databases and the grey literature research were searched from inception to July 2020. Methods: We considered randomized controlled trials in English or Chinese that used kinesio taping for the treatment of hemiplegic shoulder pain. Two reviewers independently screened the articles, scored the methodological quality using the PEDro scale, assessed risk of bias using the Cochrane's risk of bias tool and extracted the data. The outcomes included pain, motor function of the upper limb, magnitude of shoulder subluxation and activities of daily living post-intervention. Results: A total of nine studies (n = 424) met the inclusion criteria. A meta-analysis demonstrated a significant effect of kinesio taping on pain (mean difference(MD)= -1.45, 95% confidence interval(CI): -1.98 to-0.92 cm, p < 0.0001), motor function of upper limb (MD = 4.22,95%CI: 3.49 to 4.95, p < 0.00001), magnitude of shoulder subluxation (standardized mean difference(SMD) = -0.65, 95%CI: -0.95 to -0.35, p < 0.0001) and activities of daily living (MD = 6.86, 95% CI: 3.99 to 9.73, p < 0.00001) post-intervention. Conclusion: This meta-analysis suggests a beneficial effect of kinesio taping for reducing shoulder subluxation, improving motor function of the upper limb and activities of daily living in patients with hemiplegic shoulder pain post-intervention, which could not be interpreted simply as a placebo effect. And it was associated with reduced pain for patients with chronic stroke.

Automated summary

The meta-analysis confirmed the effectiveness of Kinesio Taping in the management of hemiplegic shoulder pain, showing significant improvements in reducing shoulder subluxation, improving motor function of the upper limb, and daily living activities. It also indicates a potential role in pain reduction for patients with chronic stroke.