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. 2023 Oct 19;31(4):507-516.
doi: 10.5606/tgkdc.dergisi.2023.24407. eCollection 2023 Oct.

The effect of kinesio taping on pain, respiratory function, and muscle strength after thoracotomy

Neriman Temel Aksu  1 , Mükerrem Erdoğan  2 , Abdullah Erdoğan  3
Affiliations

The effect of kinesio taping on pain, respiratory function, and muscle strength after thoracotomy

Neriman Temel Aksu et al. Turk Gogus Kalp Damar Cerrahisi Derg. .

Abstract

Background: This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of kinesio taping on pain, respiratory function, and respiratory muscle strength in patients after posterolateral thoracotomy.

Methods: Between June 2019 and May 2020, a total of 88 patients (48 males, 40 females; mean age: 56.1±9.0 years; range, 28 to 69 years) following posterolateral thoracotomy were randomly allocated to the therapeutic kinesio taping group (n=44) or the control group (n=33). Kinesio taping was applied to the kinesio taping group for seven days. Pain, respiratory functions, respiratory muscle strength, amount of analgesic drug use, and quality of life were evaluated preoperatively, on postoperative Day 0, before tape application, postoperative Days 1, 2, and 7, and at postoperative first month.

Results: There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of demographic and clinical characteristics. The results of respiratory functions and respiratory muscle strength were all improved in both groups, while there were more significant improvements in the kinesio taping group. There was a statistically significant difference in the mean Visual Analog Scale scores on postoperative Days 2 and 7 between the two groups. The amount of tramadol use of the patients in the kinesio taping group was significantly lower on postoperative Days 2 and 7 than in the control group.

Conclusion: Kinesio taping is an effective method to reduce pain and improve respiratory function after posterolateral thoracotomy. Therefore, it is thought that kinesio taping should be applied as a part of the pulmonary rehabilitation program after thoracotomy.

Keywords: Kinesio tape; pain; pulmonary function; pulmonary muscle strength; thoracotomy..

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. CONSORT diagram of study population. VAS: Visual Analog Scale; SF-36: Short-Form-36.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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