P-042 - (Poster #42) Kinesiology Tape Training for Office-Based Practitioners as Adjunctive Therapy for Chronic Low Back Pain

Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a menace to our society, affecting up to 80% of the population at least once in their lifetime and leading to a reduction in productivity in the workforce and diminished quality of life (Pakkir Mohamed et al., 2023). Pharmacological methods targeting pain relief abound, however many are associated with undesirable effects and their analgesic effects may be inadequate for many patients. Non-pharmacological methods such as physical therapy, massage, acupuncture, analgesic current, and surgical interventions have shown positive results in addressing this complex issue. 

Purpose/Objectives:

This review of the literature seeks to explore the use of Kinesiology Tape (KT) as an adjunct therapy for treating CLBP in an office setting. Prior studies have shown limited efficacy as a sole treatment modality, however in conjunction with physical therapy, exercise, and analgesic current there have been some promising outcomes (Nelson, 2016). From the perspective of an office-based practitioner, awareness of KT may allow for its application in the office setting. KT training for office-based practitioners regarding tape application and patient education may be an effective adjunctive approach in addressing CLBP. 

Methods:

Methods include review of the literature from the 2015-2025, focusing primarily on literature from the last five years to understand the scope of KT use in clinical practice and to discern the possibility to incorporate its use in an office-based setting.

Results: Preliminary review of the literature reveals that current studies of KT are limited by methodological quality, inconsistency, imprecision, and publication bias (Júnior et al., 2019). Given the different taping strategies and even different brands of tape, determining effectiveness across different published studies is challenging (Selva, 2019). However, even with these limitations there is some evidence suggesting statistically significant reductions in pain and disability and improvements in ability to accomplish activities of daily living with the use of KT (Peñalver-Barrios, 2021). 

Conclusions/Implications for future research and/or clinical care:

KT is a low-risk, low-cost intervention that may significantly improve patient outcomes. As such, it should be considered for use treating CLBP. Individualized application seems to be the most effective use of KT, so experience with manual techniques and familiarity with the variety of KT application modalities is required to have good outcomes. Increased awareness of this technique for office-based practitioners may increase its credibility in patients’ estimation and widen the scope of the effectiveness of KT. Additionally, further clinical research on the application of KT in treatment of CLBP is indicated as evidenced by the preliminary positive results uncovered by prior randomized controlled trials, despite their small treatment sizes and lack of consistency. Further studies could garner more statistical integrity with larger sample sizes and more consistency with treatment administration.