DUCHENNE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY - PHYSIOTHERAPY: P.311The effect of kinesiologic taping on balance in Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Abstract

It is known that there is a relationship between balance and motor function in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The aim of this study was to investigate acute effect of kinesiologic taping on balance in DMD. Thirty-three children with DMD who were in Level 1 and 2 according to the Brooke lower extremity functional classification (BLEFC) were included in this study. Balance of the children was assessed by timed up and go test (TUGT) and functional reach test (FRT) which are reliable for DMD. Then, kinesiologic taping with facilitation technique was applied bilaterally on quadriceps femoris and tibialis anterior muscles. Assessments were repeated 1 hour after taping. Comparison of the assessments were performed by Wilcoxon signed rank test. The mean age of children was 98.61±23.88 months. Fourteen children were classified as Level 1 and 19 as Level 2 according to BLEFC. It was found that time of TUGT decreased (p=0.006), and distances of forward (p=0.001), right (p=0.000) and left (p=0.003) reach increased after taping. Our study showed that increase of balance by taping in DMD can affect the children's function, positively. Therefore, kinesiologic taping may be included in treatment programs of DMD in early stage.