Kinesiotaping therapy for midshaft clavicular fractures: a randomised trial study

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Sports Medicine
• Rehabilitation

Background:

• Midshaft clavicle fractures with minimal displacement are often treated conservatively.
• Conservative treatment can lead to disadvantages like pain, nonunion, and delayed return to work.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if kinesiotaping reduces disadvantages of conservative treatment for midshaft clavicle fractures.
• To evaluate the clinical and functional outcomes of kinesiotaping compared to arm slings alone.

Main Methods:

• Forty patients with midshaft clavicle fractures were randomized into two groups: arm sling only (Group S) or arm sling with kinesiotaping (Group K).
• Outcome measures included visual analog scale (VAS), Constant score, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, union time, shortening, and return to work time.
• Follow-up averaged 8.5 months.

Main Results:

• Group K showed significantly better ASES and Constant scores at 3 months compared to Group S.
• Mean union time was similar between groups (8.60 weeks for S, 8.25 weeks for K).
• Group K had a significantly shorter mean time to return to work (5.37 weeks) than Group S (7.23 weeks).
• No significant difference in shortening was observed between groups.

Conclusions:

• Arm sling with kinesiotaping yields better clinical and functional results for midshaft clavicle fractures than arm sling alone.
• Kinesiotaping may improve union rates and shorten return-to-work time by managing pain and edema.
• This approach offers an effective enhancement to conservative fracture management.