Effects of Kinesio Taping in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Treatment: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Aim: The effectiveness of kinesio taping (KT) on carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) remains controversial. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the clinical effectiveness of KT compared to sham taping and exercises in patients with CTS. Methods: The study was conducted between July 2020 and February 2022. Patients were randomly divided into three groups: group 1 (KT plus tendon and nerve gliding exercises), group 2 (sham-taping plus exercises), and group 3 (exercises alone). Kinesio taping was applied three times with 5-day intervals, with the “neural technique” for median and ulnar nerves and the “area correction technique” for carpal tunnel releasing. The primary outcome was the visual analog scale (VAS), while secondary outcomes included hand grip strength, the Boston Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Questionnaire (BCTQ), and the Short Form-12 (SF-12). Results: The study was completed with 44 patients. Significant improvement was observed in all parameters in the KT group (p<0.05). In both the sham taping and control groups, significant improvement was observed in all parameters except SF-12. The decrease in VAS and the improvement in the BCTQ score and hand grip strength were the highest in the KT group and were found to be significantly greater compared to the other groups (p<0.001, p=0.046, and p=0.004, respectively). Conclusion: Kinesio taping in addition to exercises is more effective in improving pain, symptom severity, and hand grip strength in patients with CTS.