The possibility of the use of Kinesio Taping in internal, oncologic, and neurologic diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: This systematic review aimed to present the current body of knowledge on Kinesio Taping (KT) as a treatment method for patients with internal, oncologic, and neurologic diseases. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, MEDLINE, CENTRAL (Cochrane Library), EMBASE Excerpta Medica, and Google Scholar. STUDY SELECTION: The papers were identified through term searches in digital research databases. Based on the review of the available 152 research articles, 12 papers on internal, oncologic, and neurologic diseases were selected. Two of this review's authors, working independently, selected the papers to be included in the analyzed sample, performed a bias risk assessment and assessed the quality of the evidence for the main effects using the Internal Validity Score (IVS) (PEDro) approach. A simplified version of the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (OCEBM) system was used to evaluate the evidence. DATA EXTRACTION: The full text of each relevant study was read by two independent reviewers to extract data. The collected database was subjected to matrix processing. Variable vectors for individually analyzed categories were designated and used in the meta-analysis. DATA SYNTHESIS: There are few prospective, randomized controlled trials on KT that include a sufficiently large cohort. Only few of the reviewed papers which discuss the principles of KT met the criteria of scientifically rigorous research. CONCLUSIONS: We found some evidence to support the use of KT in clinical practice in patients with neurologic, oncologic, and internal diseases. However, there is a need for further clinical trials on the effectiveness of the use of the KT method.

Assessment of the effects of dysphagia therapy in patients in the early post-stroke period: a randomised controlled trial.

AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dysphagia therapy in patients in the early post-stroke period. CLINICAL RATIONALE: Dysphagia can be one of the consequences of stroke. This problem often leads to complications in the early stages of stroke, including aspiration pneumonia. Although individual reports on dysphagia exist in the literature, no comprehensive guidelines for dysphagia therapy are available. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This randomised controlled trial included 60 patients with swallowing difficulties after ischaemic stroke (30 each in the study and control groups; age range: 55-65 years) who were admitted to a hospital stroke subunit. Patient rehabilitation period covered 15 days (seven days a week), with therapy for the first 10 days provided during patient hospitalisation and then outpatient physiotherapy during the subsequent five days. The procedure, including providing education about safe food and liquid consumption to patients and their caregivers, was performed in both patient groups. An original dysphagia treatment method was employed in the study group. Statistical average, standard deviation, and statistical error before and after therapy were determined in the study and control groups. The significance of differences in results between the study and control groups was assessed using the Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: The applied therapy for dysphagia improved the swallowing function and selected motor functions of patients after stroke. In the study group, ineffective (delayed) and absent swallowing reflex was observed in 13 patients (44%) before therapy and in one patient (3%) after therapy. The rate of effective swallowing reflex increased from 57% to 97%. Statistically significant differences in swallowing reflex were observed between the study and control groups after therapy (p = 0.00001). CONCLUSIONS: A comprehensive therapy for dysphagia is effective and can reduce serious complications of swallowing disorders in clinical practice. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The results of this study could improve the clinical treatment of dysphagia.