A Comparative Study Assessing the Effect of Balance Training with and without Taping on Mobility in Stroke Patients

To evaluate the effect of balance training, with taping and without taping, on mobility in patients with sub-acute or chronic stroke.

A randomised controlled trial. Place and Duration of the Study: Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan, from May to August 2023.

Participants of both genders aged over 35 years, with hemiparesis of more than three months and less than one and a half years of stroke onset, who were able to walk more than 10 metres with or without a walking aid, had an MMSE score of 24 or higher, had spastic paralysis of the lower limb, and understood the goals of the study, were included in the study. Those who had a history of lower-extremity surgery, skin conditions, or extremely sensitive skin, reported pain during ankle joint dorsiflexion, or had a Modified Ashworth Scale score of>2 were excluded from the study. Participants were enrolled based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Participants were randomly assigned to the experimental group (balance training with taping) and the control group (balance training without taping) through simple randomisation using the lottery method. Before and after the treatment, the Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) was used to assess mobility. The intervention was administered for 30 minutes per session, three sessions per week, for four consecutive weeks.

The mean age of the 36 participants was 52.19 ± 11.38 years. In the experimental group, the involved side was right in 9 participants and left in 9 participants. In contrast, in the control group, the damaged side was right in 10 participants and left in 8 participants. Balance training with taping showed significantly higher 6MWT score (150.39 ± 10.05m) in mobility recovery compared with balance training without taping (149.61 ± 11.65m). Within-group analysis showed a significant difference (p <0.05), with the 6MWT showing a significant change from baseline 133.06 ± 10.59 to 150.39 ± 10.05 in the experimental group, while the scores changed from 136.44 ± 11.22 to 140.61 ± 11.65 in the control group.

Balance training with taping is more effective for the improvement of mobility than balance training without taping in sub- acute to chronic stroke patients.

Taping, Mobility, Balance training, Rehabilitation, Stroke, Six-Minute Walk test.