Effects of kinesiotaping on proprioception, pain, disability, and quality of life in patients with cervical spondylosis: a randomized controlled trial

This study aimed to assess the effects of kinesiotaping (KT) adjunct to physical therapy (PT) on proprioception, cervical range of motion (ROM), pain, disability, anxiety, depression, and quality of life (QoL) in cervical spondylosis. Sixty-nine patients aged 50–70 years were randomized into three groups: PT, PT plus KT(PT+KT), PT plus sham-taping(PT+ST). All participants underwent standardized 15-session PT, 5 days/week. Additionally, group-II received KT, and group-III received ST 2 days/week for 3 weeks. Primary outcome was the cervical-joint-position-error-test (CJPET), with secondary outcomes active-cervical ROM, handgrip strength, Visual-Analogue-Scale (VAS), Douleur Neuropathique-4 Questions (DN4), Upper-Limb-Functional-Index (ULFI), Neck-Disability-Index (NDI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36). CJPET for flexion improved in all groups (<i>p</i> &lt; .05), with no significant intergroup differences (<i>p</i> &gt; .05). ROM improved in all groups (<i>p</i> &lt; .05), with significant intergroup differences in extension at both T1 (<i>p</i> = .006, eta squared = 0.125, medium effect size) and T2 (<i>p</i> = .022, eta squared = 0.086, medium effect size); revealing greater improvement for PT+KT and PT+ST compared to PT (<i>p</i> &lt; .05).VAS, DN4, NDI, and SF-36 pain domain scores improved in all groups (<i>p</i> &lt; .05). Handgrip strength increased in the nondominant hand in PT+KT and PT+ST (<i>p</i> = .021). No improvements were observed in HADS (<i>p</i> &gt; .05). ULFI increased in PT (<i>p</i> = .043) and PT+ST (<i>p</i> = .005). KT adjunct to PT shows potential in improving proprioception, pain, and disability in cervical spondylosis. Further studies are needed to refine taping techniques and assess long-term effects.