Effectiveness of kinesio tape in the treatment of patients with plantar fasciitis

BACKGROUND: A meta-analysis was conducted to assess the clinical efficacy of Kinesio tape (KT) for the management of plantar fasciitis. METHODS: Two investigators conducted an electronic literature search independently to evaluate the results of the KT treatment for patellofemoral pain syndrome. As of November 2024, the electronic databases included in the search were PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, the Wanfang Database, the China Journal Full-Text Database China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and the VIP database. The search was limited to languages in Chinese and English. The extraction and inclusion indexes comprised pain visual analogue scale or numerical rating scale, ankle function American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society and plantar fascia thickness. Following the extraction of the data, a meta-analysis was conducted using Review Manager 5.3 and Stata 17.0. RESULT: A total of 16 studies were included in the review, all of which were randomized controlled trials. Subgroup analyses based on intervention types revealed significant differences. Compared with controls, KT combined with other active therapies (e.g., extracorporeal shock wave therapy, muscle energy techniques) significantly relieved pain (mean difference [MD] = -1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] [-2.1, 0], P = .05, I2 = 96%). However, KT as a monotherapy showed no statistically significant pain reduction over controls (MD = -0.54, 95% CI [-1.21, 0.13], P = .11, I2 = 90%). For ankle function American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society, only the combined therapy group showed significant improvement (MD = 7.6, P < .00001), while KT alone did not (MD = -0.9, P = .8). CONCLUSION: KT demonstrated a statistically significant but clinically modest reduction in pain in patients with plantar fasciitis. However, the effect size did not reach the generally recognized minimal clinically important difference threshold, suggesting that the clinical benefit may be limited. KT may be considered as an adjunctive therapy, particularly when combined with other treatments, but its role as a standalone intervention remains questionable.