The effect of kinesio taping on postoperative swelling following surgically assisted rapid maxillary expansion: A...

Surgically assisted rapid maxillary expansion (SARME) is a widely used and effective treatment modality for the management of maxillary transverse deficiency (MTD) in adult patients. However, postoperative edema following SARME represents a significant complication that may adversely affect patient comfort and the recovery process.The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of kinesio taping (KT) on postoperative swelling following SARME in patients with MTD.

In patients with MTD undergoing SARME, KT was applied to one side of the face, constituting the KT group. The contralateral side received no KT and was designated as the control group. Linear facial measurements (the distances between tragus-ala nasi, ala nasi-labial commissure, tragus-labial commissure, and angulus mandibulae-lateral canthus) were recorded preoperatively and on postoperative days 2, 5, 7, and 10 for the assessment of postoperative swelling. Power analysis was performed using G*Power 3.1 software, which indicated that a sample size of 20 patients was required. Statistical analyses were performed using the Wilcoxon test and ANOVA RESULTS: 20.8 ± 3.11 years. In the KT group, compared with preoperative values, measurements obtained on postoperative days 2 and 5 showed statistically significant differences (p < 0.001). whereas no significant differences were detected on days 7 and 10 (p = 0.149, p = 1.000, respectively). In the control group, a statistically significant difference was observed even between preoperative swelling values and those on postoperative day 10 (p < 0.001).

KT was found to be effective in reducing postoperative swelling following SARME. These findings indicate that KT may be a promising modality, given its ease of application, noninvasive nature, effectiveness in reducing postoperative swelling, and economic feasibility.