🧻 KINESIOTAPING in NECK PAIN 🤕

 



Neck pain is a major public health care problem, with the prevalence of neck pain in the general population ranging from 16.7% to 75.1% (mean 37.2%) and a lifetime prevalence of 48.5% (1,2). Mechanical neck pain (MNP) was defined as generalized neck pain and/or shoulder pain with mechanical features including symptoms aggravated by maintained neck posture, movement or palpation of cervical musculature (3). The etiology of MNP is not clear, however, it is thought to be multifactorial.
 
Various cervical structures, such as uncovertebral and intervertebral joints, neural tissues, discs, muscles or ligaments may be the source of neck pain. It is also claimed that myofascial trigger points localized in different head, neck, shoulder or upper back muscles, and paracervical muscle spasm may be responsible for MNP (2).
 
 

Kinesiotaping

 
A popular treatment technique used by physiotherapist in the management of musculoskeletal pathologies is kinesiotaping (KT).
 
We want to know the effects of KT in MNP, so we found a paper which study thirty-six patients (10 men, 26 women) with regards to pain intensity, range of motion (ROM), disability, quality of life, and depressive symptoms.
 
(Information extracted from: Onat SS, Polat CS, Bicer S, Sahin Z, Tasoglu O. Effect of Dry Needling Injection and Kinesiotaping on Pain and Quality of Life in Patients with Mechanical Neck Pain. Pain Physician. 2019 Nov;22(6):583-589. PMID: 31775405)
 


 

KT Application

 
KT application is shown in Fig. 1. The first layer of tape, a Y-strip, was placed over the posterior cervical extensor muscles, from the insertion to the origin, by stretching it 15% to 25% of its original length (4).
 
Each tail of the first strip was applied with the patient’s neck bending and rotating to the opposite site from the dorsal (T1-T2) to the upper cervical region (C1-C2). The overlying tape, spaced-strip with openings, was placed perpendicular to the Y-strip, over the midcervical region (C3-C6), with the patient’s cervical spine in flexion to apply tension to the posterior structures (5,6).
 
Patients wore the KT for a 4-week duration (renewed once a week periodically in this time).
 

Fig. 1: KT Application

 

Evaluations

 
- Numeric Rating Scale (NPS-11) was used to measure pain intensity. The NPS-11 ranges between 0 and 10 (0: minimum pain, 10: maximum pain). It has been shown to be a reliable and valid tool for the assessment of pain (7).
 
- The ROM was measured by using the universal goniometer (8). Neck Disability Index (NDI) was used to detect functional disability. The NDI consists of 10 questions, and total score is between 0 and 50 (9).
 
- For quality of life, the Short Form-36 Quality of Life Scale (SF-36 QOLS) was used. SF-36 QOLS consists of 8 subscores: physical function, physical role difficulties (PRD), body pain, general perception of health, vitality/energy, social function, mental status role, and mental health. The subscores were calculated separately between 0 and 100 (0: the worst, 100: the best health status). The scores of the 2 main components (physical score and mental score) were also evaluated. The Turkish validation was performed by Kocyiğit et al (10).
 
- Depressive symptoms were assessed by the Turkish version of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The total score was between 0 and 63. Higher total scores indicate more severe depressive symptoms (11,12).
 



 

Discussion

 
This study revealed that KT is effective treatments for pain, quality of life, and depression in patients with MNP. We also found that KT may positively influence pain, disability, and ROM similar to the findings of others (5,6).
 
It may be possible that the application of KT provides a proper sensory feedback to the patients, decreasing fear of movement and thus improving ROM. Because the traction in KT lifts the epidermis relieving the pressure on the mechanoreceptors below the dermis, therefore decreasing nociceptive stimuli. Tension in the tape also provides afferent stimuli facilitating pain inhibition mechanisms, thereby contributing to reducing pain levels (5).
 
 

Conclusions

 
This study showed that both KT had a positive impact on pain, disability, quality of life, mood and ROM.
 
 
 

 
 
 

References

 
1. Fejer R, Ohm-Kyvik K, Hartvigsen J. The prevalence of neck pain in the world population: A systematic critical review of the literature. Eur Spine J 2006; 15:834-848.
 
2. Munoz-Munoz S, Munoz-Garcia MT, Alburquerque-Sendin F, Arroyo-Morales M, Fernandez-de-las-Penas CJ. Myofascial trigger points, pain, disability and sleep quality in individuals with mechanical neck pain. Manipulative Physiol Ther 2012; 35:608-613.
 
3. Castaldo M, Ge HY, Chiarotto A, Villafane JH, Arendt-Nielsen L. Myofascial trigger points in patients with whiplashassociated disorders and mechanical neck pain. Pain Med 2014; 15:842-849.
 
4. Saavedra-Hernández M, Castro-Sánchez AM, Cuesta-Vargas AI, Cleland JA, Fernández-de-las-Peñas C, Arroyo-Morales M. The contribution of previous episodes of pain, pain intensity, physical impairment, and pain-related fear to disability in patients with chronic mechanicalneck pain. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2012; 91:1070-1076.
 
5. González-Iglesias J, Fernández-de-Las- Peñas C, Cleland JA, Huijbregts P, Del Rosario Gutiérrez-Vega M. Short-term effects of cervical kinesio taping on pain and cervical range of motion in patients with acute whiplash injury: A randomized clinical trial. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2009; 39:515-521.
 
6. Saavedra-Hernández M, Castro-Sánchez AM, Arroyo-Morales M, Cleland JA, Lara- Palomo IC, Fernández-de-Las-Peñas C. Short term effects of kinesio taping versus cervical thrust manipulation in patients with mechanical neck pain: A randomized clinical trial. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2012; 42:724-730.
 
7. Jensen MP, Turner JA, Romano JM, Fisher LD. Comparative reliability and validity of chronic pain intensity measures. Pain 1999; 83:157-162.
 
8. Fletcher JP, Bandy WD. Intrarater reliability of CROM measurement of cervical spine ac tive range of motion in persons with and without neck pain. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2008; 38:640-645.
 
9. Macdemid JC, Walton DM, Avery S, et al. Measurement properties of the neck disability index: A systematic review. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2009; 39:400-417.
 
10. Koçyiğit H, Aydemir Ö, Fişek G, Ölmez N, Memiş A. The reliability and validity of Turkish version of Short form 36 (SF 36). J Drug Treat 1995; 12:102-106.
 
11. Beck AT, Ward CH, Mendelson M, Mock J, Erbaugh J. An inventory for measuring depression. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1961; 4:561-571.
 
12. Hisli N. Beck Depresyon Envanterinin geçerliği üzerine bir çalışma. Psikoloji Dergisi 1988; 6:118-122.