Effectiveness of kinesio tape in people with low back pain. A systematic review with meta-analysis
Jacqueline Inostroza-Quiroz1,2, Ricardo Solano-López1,2, Claudio Bascour-Sandoval1
1Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile.
Background:
Low back pain (LBP) is a common musculoskeletal condition. Kinesio Tape (KT) has been proposed as a non-pharmacological treatment, but its effectiveness remains unclear.
Methods:
A systematic review with meta-analysis was conducted according to PRISMA. Searches were performed in MEDLINE-Ovid, Embase-Ovid, PEDro, CENTRAL, CINAHL, LILACS, and Scopus up to January 2025. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating KT in individuals with LBP were included. The primary outcomes were functionality and pain intensity, and the secondary outcomes were range of motion and adverse events.
Results:
Fifty-four RCTs involving 3479 participants were included. In acute LBP, KT improved functionality by 14.95% (95% CI: -31.40 to 1.50) compared with no intervention on the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). In chronic LBP, KT improved functionality by 11.9% (95% CI -18.07 to -5.73) compared to no intervention, and 2.31% (95% CI -5.83 to -1.22) versus placebo, both on ODI, and 0.97 points in the Roland-Morris Questionnaire (95% CI -2.45 to 0.51) versus Micropore®. Physiotherapy improved 5.44% (95% CI -0.76 to 10.12) more than KT on ODI. In pregnant women, KT improved functionality by 1.45 points (95% CI -2.97 to 0.07) versus placebo and by 2.19 points (95% CI -4.35 to -0.03) versus no intervention on the Roland-Morris Questionnaire. In irradiated LBP, KT showed no benefit over placebo. For pain on the Visual Analog Scale, KT in acute LBP reduced pain intensity by 1.61 cm (95% CI: -2.54 to -0.08) compared with no intervention. In chronic LBP, KT was superior to no intervention by 1.93 cm (95% CI -2.17 to -1.69), to placebo 0.70 cm (95% CI -1.39 to -0.02), to Micropore® 1.03 cm (95% CI -1.76 to -0.31), and 0.95 cm (95% CI -2.04 to 0.12) more than physiotherapy. In pregnant women, KT reduced pain by up to 3.01 cm (95% CI -4.39 to -1.62) compared to placebo and by -1.78cm (95% CI -3.34 to -0.22) compared to no intervention. Finally, in LBP irradiated, KT decreased by 0.31cm (95% CI -1.23 to 0.60) more than placebo.
Conclusions:
KT may improve functionality and reduce pain in short-term LBP. However, its effects on long-term chronic and irradiated LBP remain limited, and further high-quality trials are needed.
