Abstract
BackgroundKinesiology taping (KT) is used in musculoskeletal practice for preventive and rehabilitative purposes. It is claimed that KT improves blood flow in the microcirculation by creating skin convolutions and that this reduces swelling and facilitates healing of musculoskeletal injuries. There is a paucity of physiological studies evaluating the effect of KT on cutaneous blood microcirculation.ObjectivesThe purpose of this parallel-group controlled laboratory repeated measures design study was to evaluate the effects of KT on cutaneous blood microcirculation in healthy human adults using a dual wavelength (infrared and visible-red) laser Doppler Imaging (LDI) system. KT was compared with rigid taping and no taping controls to isolate the effects associated with the elasticity of KTMethodsForty-five healthy male and female human adults were allocated to one of the three interventions using constrained randomisation following the pre-intervention measurement: (i) KT (ii) ST (standard taping) (iii) NT (no taping). Cutaneous blood perfusion was measured using LDI in the ventral surface of forearm at pre-intervention, during-intervention and post-intervention in a normothermic environment at resting conditions.ResultsMixed ANOVA of both infrared and visible-red datasets revealed no statistically significant interaction between Intervention and Time. There was statistically significant main effect for Time but not Intervention.ConclusionKT does not increase cutaneous blood microcirculation in healthy human adults under resting physiological conditions in a normothermic environment. On the contrary, evidence suggests that taping, regardless of the elasticity in the tape, is associated with immediate reductions in cutaneous blood flow.
Highlights
Kinesiology taping is a popular therapy amongst musculoskeletal professionals including physical and sports therapists, chiropractors, osteopaths and athletic trainers for preventing and rehabilitating musculoskeletal injuries and improving sports-related performance
The study found no statistically significant differences in cutaneous blood perfusion between kinesiology taping and standard taping, nor between the taping and no tape interventions when measured using laser Doppler Imaging (LDI) at IR and VR wavelengths in healthy participants at resting conditions
Woodward et al [28] found no significant differences in forearm skin blood flow after 5–10 minutes of local heat provocation between kinesiology taping and no taping control in a randomised crossover study using 13 healthy participants
Summary
Kinesiology taping is a popular therapy amongst musculoskeletal professionals including physical and sports therapists, chiropractors, osteopaths and athletic trainers for preventing and rehabilitating musculoskeletal injuries and improving sports-related performance. It is claimed by the advocates that kinesiology taping creates convolutions of the skin causing the epidermis to lift away from the underlying tissues and the resultant decompression alters flow of blood and lymph in the microcirculation, which in turn might reduce swelling [2,3,4]. Kinesiology taping can be applied to produce visible convolutions of skin (Fig 1), so it seems plausible that mechanical deformation of skin could lift the epidermis from the dermis increasing interstitial volume and decreasing interstitial pressure, altering the flow of interstitial fluid, blood and lymph in the microcirculation of skin and superficial tissues [16]. It is claimed that KT improves blood flow in the microcirculation by creating skin convolutions and that this reduces swelling and facilitates healing of musculoskeletal injuries. There is a paucity of physiological studies evaluating the effect of KT on cutaneous blood microcirculation.
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