The Effect of Kinesio Tape on Knee Pain and Quality of Life in Subjects with Knee Osteoarthritis – A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background and Objectives: The short and long-term effects of Kinesio tape on pain and quality of life (functional status) in patients with knee osteoarthritis were investigated. Materials and Methods: Forty-seven patients with knee osteoarthritis were randomly allocated into Kinesio tape and Sham Kinesio tape groups. The assessments were performed at the baseline, 30 minutes after the initial Kinesio tape application, 3 days after the fifth Kinesio tape application and 1 week later. The quality of life (functional status) of the patients was evaluated using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Scale (WOMAC). The pain level was measured using the visual analog scale (VAS). Results: In both groups, the mean of the rest pain, activity pain score, and WOMAC score decreased, but there were no significant differences between groups for both VAS and WOMAC scores (P˃0.05). Also, there were no significant differences between groups during the follow up assessment. Conclusion: According to the results, it may be concluded that there were no beneficial effects between Kinesio tape and sham tape on pain and on the quality of life in patients with knee osteoarthritis