A Kinesio Taping Method Applied in the Treatment of Postsurgical Knee Swelling after Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty

Background The knee is one of the joints in the human body that is most susceptible of osteoarthritis (OA). In the case of advanced-stage OA, total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a treatment of choice. One modern physiotherapeutic method to support the treatment in the early postsurgical period is Kinesio Taping (KT). The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of KT on swollen subcutaneous tissue after TKA. Materials and methods. The studied group consisted of 23 patients who had received TKA. The mean BMI was 30.60 +/- 4.91, and KT was applied between the 3rd and 8th day of the early postoperative period. The control group was constituted by 22 patients who had received TKA. The mean BMI was 30.41 +/- 6.00, and KT was not applied. On the 3rd and 8th day after TKA, in all patients, the swelling of the shin, range of motions (ROM), and pain were measured using ultrasound, a goniometer, and a VAS scale, respectively. Results. In the KT group, the lateral measurement at the top of the head of the fibula significantly decreased between the 3rd and 8th day (11.47 +/- 0.76 vs. 9.76 +/- 0.77; p = 0.0004). The knee flexion angle on day 3 was statistically significantly different from that on day 8 (48.61 +/- 3.08 vs. 72.74 +/- 3.92; p = 0.00004). The evaluation results for severity of pain using the VAS scale on day 3 were statistically significantly higher than those on day 8 (5.74 +/- 0.25 vs. 4.30 +/- 0.25; p = 0.00006). In the group of patients to whom KT was not applied, the lateral measurement at the top of the head of the fibula on day 3 was not statistically significantly different from that on day 8 (10.323 +/- 0.828 vs. 10.273 +/- 0.995; p = 0.9227). The knee flexion angle in the group that did not receive KT on day 3 was statistically significantly different from that on day 8 (45.182 +/- 3.654 vs. 59.909 +/- 4.817; p = 0.0006). The severity of pain evaluated using the VAS scale on day 3 was statistically significantly different from that on day 8 (6.227 +/- 0.146 vs. 4.864 +/- 0.190; p = 0.0001). Conclusions. KT is an effective method for improving subcutaneous drainage and decreasing subcutaneous tissue. However, KT does not affect postoperative pain and ROM.

Automated summary

This study found that KT is an effective method for improving subcutaneous drainage and decreasing subcutaneous tissue after total knee arthroplasty, but it does not affect postoperative pain and range of motion.