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Effects of Kinesiotaping in Patients with Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease: A Randomized, Double Blind, Placebo-Controlled
Sezen Karaborklu Argut1, Nur Aydinli2,3, Nazif Ekin Akalan4
1Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health Sciences, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Istanbul, Turkey.
Insights
Kinesiotaping showed no significant benefit over sham taping for children with Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease (LCPD). Improvements seen were likely due to placebo effects, not the taping technique itself.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Orthopedics
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Sports Medicine
Background:
- Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease (LCPD) affects children, causing hip pain and mobility issues.
- Current treatments aim to alleviate pain and improve function, but evidence for specific interventions like kinesiotaping is evolving.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the immediate clinical effectiveness of kinesiotaping compared to sham taping in children diagnosed with LCPD.
- To assess the impact on pain, range of motion, muscle strength, functional performance, and balance.
Main Methods:
- A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 30 children (ages 6-15) with LCPD.
- Participants were assigned to either kinesiotaping or sham taping groups.
- Outcomes including pain (VAS), hip range of motion, gluteus medius force, walking, climbing, and balance were measured pre- and post-intervention.
Main Results:
- Both kinesiotaping and sham taping groups showed significant improvements in pain, range of motion, muscle force, and walking performance (p < 0.05).
- The 10-step climbing test improved only in the kinesiotaping group.
- No statistically significant differences were found between the two groups for any measured outcome (p > 0.05).
Conclusions:
- Kinesiotaping did not provide superior clinical benefits compared to sham taping in children with LCPD.
- Observed improvements are likely attributable to placebo or non-specific contextual effects, rather than the specific mechanism of kinesiotaping.
Aims:
This study aims to evaluate the immediate clinical effect of kinesiotaping in treatment of children with Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease (LCPD).
Methods:
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted with 30 participants, ages 6 to 15, who were randomly assigned to either the kinesiotaping or sham taping group. All participants were assessed before and 30 min after the intervention. Primary outcomes included activity-related hip pain measured by a visual analogue scale, pain-limited goniometric range of motion of the affected hip, and maximal isometric force of gluteus medius muscle. Secondary outcomes encompassed functional performance (10-meter walking test and 10-step climbing test durations) and balance (one-leg stance and tandem walk test durations).
Results:
Both groups demonstrated significant within-group improvements in activity-related pain, pain-limited range of motion, maximal isometric force, tandem walking test, and 10-meter walking performance (p < 0.05). Improvement in the 10-step climbing test was observed only in the kinesiotaping group. However, no statistically significant between-group differences were detected for any outcome (p > 0.05).
Conclusion:
Kinesiotaping did not demonstrate superiority over sham taping in children with LCPD. The observed improvements are therefore likely attributable to placebo or nonspecific contextual effects rather than to the taping itself.
