Kinesio taping in musculoskeletal pain and disability that lasts for more than 4 weeks: is it time to peel off the tape and throw it out with the sweat?

In recent years, Kinesio tape has been used for supporting injured muscle and joints, and relieve pain. This study compared the pain and disability in individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain who were treated with Kinesio taping with those using minimal or other treatment approaches. Seventeen clinical-controlled trials were identified and included in the meta-analyses. When compared to minimal intervention, Kinesio taping provided better pain relief (pooled SMD=-0.36, 95% CI -0.64 to -0.09, p=0.009) but the pooled disability scores were not significantly different (pooled SMD=-0.41, 95% CI -0.83 to 0.01, p=0.05). No significant differences were observed when comparing Kinesio taping to other treatment approaches for pain (pooled SMD=-0.44, 95% CI -1.69 to 0.82, p=0.49) and disability (pooled SMD=0.08, 95% CI -0.27 to 0.43, p=0.65).

The study found kinesio taping to be superior to minimal intervention for pain relief. Existing evidence does not establish the superiority of Kinesio taping to other treatment approaches to decrease pain and disability for individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain.