Kinesio taping methods for stroke survivors with shoulder-hand syndrome / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To observe the effects of different kinesio taping methods on hand swelling, shoulder pain, upper limb motor function and ability in the activities of daily living of stroke survivors with shoulder-hand syndrome.Methods:Sixty stroke survivors with shoulder-hand syndrome were randomly divided into groups A, B, C and a control group, each of 15. In addition to routine rehabilitation training and drug treatment, as well as claw-shaped and I-shaped taping of the hand and wrist, group A received I-shaped kinesio taping, B received Y-shape and C received I-shape plus Y-shaped taping of the shoulder. Before and after 4 weeks, the drainage method was employed to calculate the difference in volume between the two hands. Their temperatures were also measured. The subjects reported shoulder pain using a visual analog scale (VAS). Upper limb motor functioning was quantified using Fugl-Meyer scores, and difficulties in the activities of daily living were evaluated using the modified Barthel index (MBI).Results:Before the treatment there were no significant differences among the four groups in terms of any of the measurements. Afterward the treatment, significant improvement was observed in the volume and temperature differences between hands, as well as in the VAS, FMA and MBI scores. After the treatment, group C′s average FMA score was significantly higher than those of the other groups. There was no significant difference in MBI scores among the four groups.Conclusions:Supplementing rehabilitation training with I-shaped plus Y-shaped kinesio taping can effectively reduce the volume and temperature differences between the hands, relieve shoulder pain, and improve effectiveness in the activities of daily living of persons with shoulder-hand syndrome after a stroke. Hand-claw and wrist-I taping also have some effect.