Efficacy of kinesio taping on hand functioning in patients with mild carpal tunnel syndrome. A double-blind randomized controlled trial

Study design: Double-blind randomized controlled trial. Introduction: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common mononeuropathy that causes pain and disability in the affected hand. Kinesio taping (KT) has been recently proposed as a promising conservative approach in CTS patients. Purpose of the study: To investigate the effectiveness of KT compared to a sham taping on symptoms and hand function in patients affected by mild CTS. Methods: Patients affected by mild CTS with symptoms for at least 8 weeks were enrolled and randomly allocated into two groups: KT group, according to the technique proposed by Kase plus specific exercises; control group, undergoing a sham taping plus specific exercise. All patients performed 2 sessions/week for 5 weeks of exercises of mobilization of fingers and carpal joint. At the baseline, after 5 weeks (T1), and after 6 months (T2), a physician unaware of patients’ allocation assessed the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ) symptom (BCTQ-S) and functional (BCTQ-F) subscales. Results: Forty-two patients (mean age:54.3 ± 15.0 y) were randomly allocated into KT (n = 21) and control group (n = 21). At T1, in both groups we found a significant improvement in hand function and symptoms, as showed by BCTQ-F (KT:4.2 ± 0.7 vs 3.0 ± 0.6, P < .001; sham: 2.2 ± 0.3 vs 1.7 ± 0.3, P = .012) and by BCTQ-S (KT: 2.2 ± 0.3 vs 1.7 ± 0.3, P < .001; sham: 2.3 ± 0.4 vs 1.9 ± 0.5, P = .007). At T2, only in the KT group there was a significant difference in both sub-items of primary outcome. There were significantly better results in the KT group at T1 and T2. Discussion: The present study showed that KT compared to a sham taping might be more effective in reducing perceived symptoms in mild CTS patients, reporting a clinically significant difference. Conclusion: KT might be considered as an effective technique combined to rehabilitative treatment in terms of hand function and symptoms in patients affected by mild CTS.