KINESIOTAPING and KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS

 

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent chronic joint disease. Cartilage is the central tissue affected by OA and causes subsequent symptoms, including joint pain, stiffness and joint swelling, which diminishes the range of motion (1,2).

Currently, no reliable treatment has been confirmed to prevent progression of knee OA. The aim this review was to evaluate the efficacy of Kinesio Taping (KT) in reducing pain and increasing knee function in patients with OA.
 

Knee osteoarthritis

(Information extracted from: Lu, Zhijun, et al. "Kinesio taping improves pain and function in patients with knee osteoarthritis: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials." International Journal of Surgery (2018))

 

Kinesio Taping Application

Five studies were included in this review. They compared an intervention group who received KT to a placebo group received sham Taping.

1. Cho et al. (3) an I-shaped KT starting at the origin of the rectus femoris and a Y-shaped KT proximal to the superior patellar boarder. While KT was applied, the quadriceps muscle was being stretched.
 

Cho et al.

 2. Wageck et al. (4) three KT elements applied simultaneously. 

A) Drainage element of the experimental application. B) Muscle strength element of the experimental application. C) Pain-relief element of the experimental application. D) Combined experimental application.
 

Wageck et al.

 3. Mutlu et al. (5) KT on their quadriceps femoris and hamstring muscle. First, patients were taped with a Y-shaped Kinesio type at the quadriceps femoris. The tape was applied a point 5 cm inferior to the anterior superior iliac spine to the knee cap (origin to insertion), with the patient in a supine position with 25% tension. Then, each patient flexed his or her knee, and the Y-shaped tape (the tails of the tape) was circled around the patella, ending at its inferior side with no tension.
 

Next, patients were taped with a Y-shaped Kinesio type at the hamstring muscle. The tape was applied from ischial tuberosity to the back of the knee, with the patients in a standing position with their trunk bent. Then, the Y-shaped tape (the tails of the tape) was applied around the lateral side of the knee and medial side of the knee.
 

Mutlu et al.

 4. Aydogdu et al. (6) KT on quadriceps and hamstring muscles was performed with Y-shaped technique. The subjects lay in the supine position with the hip flexed at 30◦ and the knee flexed at 60◦. In the supine position, taping was first applied to the quadriceps femoris. The tape was applied from a point 10 cm inferior to the anterior superior iliac spine, bisected at the junction between quadriceps femoris tendon and the patella, and circled around the patella, ending at its inferior side. The first 5 cm of the tape were not stretched. The portion between the first part of tape and superior patella was stretched to 50–70%. The remaining tape around the patella remained un-stretched. After that, in the prone position, hamstring was taped secondly with the same method.
  

Aydogdu et al.

5. Rahlf et al. (7) KT on their quadriceps femoris and hamstring muscle. A medial and a lateral “I” strap as well as 1 “I” strap over the patella were applied. “I” strap means the tape is not cut into different parts; The strap across the patella was applied in individual maximum knee flexion. The base of the tape was applied at the tibial tuberosity and pulled in maximum tension over the patella, ending at the lower third of the quadriceps femoris muscle. The medial and lateral straps were applied in 45° knee flexion along the collateral medial and lateral ligaments.
  

Rahlf et al.

Outcomes after place KT

Visual analog scale (VAS)

VAS scale was adopted to measure pain and it was considered a subjective method.

Taping was associated with a significantly reduction in VAS scale at rest, as well as at movement in patients with knee OA. This pain reduction can be attributed to neurological suppression, due to stimulation of cutaneous mechanoreceptors.

Anandkumar et al. (8) showed that there was a decreased pain in Kinesio Taping groups while climbing stairs. The present meta-analysis indicated that Kinesio Taping was associated with a significantly reduction in VAS scale at rest.

Range of motion and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) scale
Articular cartilage can be damaged by normal wear and abnormal mechanical loading which may cause abnormal cellular activities in cartilage and synovium, resulting in stiffness, loss of range of motion (9).

Our review demonstrated that Kinesio Taping was associated with an improved WOMAC compared with sham Taping. So Kinesio Taping could significantly improve knee flexion range of motion.
 

Muscle strength

Quadriceps femoris muscle weakness is a common symptom in knee OA and this may affect joint function and accelerate progress of degeneration (10,11). There was no significant difference in quadriceps femoris muscle in patients with knee OA.
 

Conclusions

Kinesio Taping is effective in improving for pain and joint function in patients with knee OA.
 

Bibliography

 1. M. Hurley, K. Dickson, R. Hallett, R. Grant, H. Hauari, N. Walsh, C. Stansfield, S. Oliver, Exercise interventions and patient beliefs for people with hip, knee or hip and knee osteoarthritis: a mixed methods review, Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. 4 (2018) CD010842. 

2. S. Demehri, D. Shakoor, Structural Changes in Aging-knee versus Early-knee Osteoarthritis: Review of Current Evidence and Future Challenges, Osteoarthritis and cartilage, 2018. 

3. H.Y. Cho, E.H. Kim, J. Kim, Y.W. Yoon, Kinesio taping improves pain, range of motion, and proprioception in older patients with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trial, Am. J. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 94 (3) (2015) 192–200. 

4. B. Wageck, G.S. Nunes, N.B. Bohlen, G.M. Santos, M. de Noronha, Kinesio Taping does not improve the symptoms or function of older people with knee osteoarthritis: a randomised trial, J. Physiother. 62 (3) (2016) 153–158. 

5. E. Kaya Mutlu, R. Mustafaoglu, T. Birinci, A. Razak Ozdincler, Does kinesio taping of the knee improve pain and functionality in patients with knee osteoarthritis?: a randomized controlled clinical trial, Am. J. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 96 (1) (2017) 25–33. 

6. O. Aydogdu, Z. Sari, S.U. Yurdalan, M.G. Polat, Clinical outcomes of kinesio taping applied in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trial, J. Back Musculoskelet. Rehabil. 30 (5) (2017) 1045–1051. 

7. A.L. Rahlf, K.M. Braumann, A. Zech, Kinesio taping improves perceptions of pain and function of patients with knee osteoarthritis. A randomized, controlled trial, J. Sport Rehabil. (2018) 1–21. 

8. S. Anandkumar, S. Sudarshan, P. Nagpal, Efficacy of kinesio taping on isokinetic quadriceps torque in knee osteoarthritis: a double blinded randomized controlled study, Physiother. Pract. 30 (6) (2014) 375–383. 

9. D. Chen, J. Shen, W. Zhao, T. Wang, L. Han, J.L. Hamilton, H.J. Im, Osteoarthritis: toward a comprehensive understanding of pathological mechanism, Bone Res. 5 (1) (2017) 1–13. 

10. C. Slemenda, D.K. Heilman, K.D. Brandt, B.P. Katz, S.A. Mazzuca, E.M. Braunstein, D. Byrd, Reduced quadriceps strength relative to body weight: a risk factor for knee osteoarthritis in women? Arthritis Rheum. 41 (11) (1998) 1951–1959. 

11. M.B. Conroy, C.K. Kwoh, E. Krishnan, M.C. Nevitt, R. Boudreau, L.D. Carbone, H. Chen, T.B. Harris, A.B. Newman, B.H. Goodpaster, Muscle strength, mass, and quality in older men and women with knee osteoarthritis, Arthritis Care Res. 64 (1) (2012) 15–21.