Effectiveness of Kinesio Taping in Acute Musculoskeletal Injuries in the Emergency Department: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Study

Pain control is the main component of patient management in acute musculoskeletal injuries, which is one of the most common reasons for admission to the emergency department. We aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Kinesio taping on pain in acute musculoskeletal injuries. A prospective, single-center, randomized controlled study was conducted on patients presenting to the emergency department with acute musculoskeletal injury. All the patients were given systematic treatment, while the first group was additionally treated with a placebo, and the second group applied Kinesio tape. The pain scores of the patients at admission, 0, 15, 30, and 45 min and 48 h after the treatment were compared. Analgesic consumption and the satisfaction of the patients were compared 48 h after the treatment. Of the 110 patients (55 control, 55 Kinesio tape groups) included in the study, the proportion of males was 70% and 72.7%, respectively, and the mean age of the control and Kinesio tape groups was 43.5 ± 12.0 and 42.5 ± 12.9 years, respectively. The groups were not statistically significant for sex and age (p > 0.05). Patients’ admission visual analogue score was similar in both groups (p > 0.05). There was a decrease in the pain scores of the groups at 0, 15, 30, and 45 min, but it was not statistically different (p > 0.05). However, the pain score of the Kinesio tape group measured at the 48th hour was lower than the control group and statistically significant (p < 0.001). When looking at the site of pain, patients with acute low back pain had statistically lower pain scores for all durations (p < 0.05). Besides, the need to use analgesics within 48 h after the treatment was 8.3 times less in all Kinesio tape group, and 52.7% of the patients were very satisfied (p < 0.001). The use of Kinesio tape in the management of acute pain from acute musculoskeletal injuries is a practical, simple, inexpensive, and non-invasive adjunctive treatment that can be widely used by emergency services in addition to systemic treatment.