Kinesiotaping Applied to the Thumb in Rheumatoid Hand
Condition: Rheumatoid Arthritis; Kinesiotape; Hand Deformity
MeSH terms: Arthritis; Arthritis, Rheumatoid; Hand Deformities; Congenital Abnormalities
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Objective: It was aimed to evaluate the acute effect of Kinesiotape taping on pain, function,
      range of motion and grip strength parameters in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and hand
      involvement.

      Material and Methods: A total of 34 patients, 27 women and 7 men, diagnosed with RA according
      to the American Rheumatism Association (ACR) criteria were included in our study. All
      patients were divided into two groups as Kinesiotape and Control groups, each consisting of
      17 patients. Subjective pain intensity was evaluated with the Visual Analog Scale, range of
      motion was evaluated with a goniometer, functional evaluation was evaluated with the Grip
      Skill Test, hand grip strength was evaluated with a dynamometer, and finger grip strength was
      evaluated with a pinchmeter. Evaluation parameters were evaluated before and 1 hour after the
      application, and the acute effect was examined. The patients in the kinesiotape group were
      taped with the mechanical correction method and the patients in the Control group were taped
      with tensionless gluing of the I tape. Applications were made on both dominant and
      nondominant hands.
    

Detailed description: 
      This study is a double-blind, randomized clinical trial conducted by the Non-Interventional
      Ethics Committee from April 2018 to October 2018 in the Rheumatology unit of a university
      hospital in Turkey. The patients were divided in two groups using simple randomization
      method. There are 17 patients in groups. As the evaluation content; Socio-demographic
      information was recorded. Pain assessment was done by participants' subjective pain intensity
      Visual Analogue scale, mobility assessment was made by evaluating the range of motion with a
      goniometer, functional assessment was by grasping skill test, hand grip strength was measured
      by dynamometer, and finger grip strength was measured by pinchmeter. In our study, the
      mechanical correction method of taping to the Kinesiotape group was used. In rheumatoid hand
      patients, due to the presence of a deformity called hitchhiker's finger, the thumb is taped
      with 50-75% tension to create a pulling force in the direction of flexion and abduction. Sham
      application was applied to both dominant and nondominant hands in Control Group patients.
      Sham taping is the bonding of I tape to the 1st finger without tension and does not contain
      any features. Both the dominant and nondominant hands of the patients were taped and the
      differences between the two hands were also examined.
    

Intervention name(s): Kinesiotaping; Sham
Intervention type(s): Other; Other
Intervention description(s): The mechanical correction method of taping to the Kinesiotape group was used. In rheumatoid hand patients, due to the presence of a deformity called hitchhiker's finger, the thumb is taped with 50-75% tension to create a pulling force in the direction of flexion and abduction. The application was performed with the patient in a sitting position with his arm supported by a pillow from the elbow. Evaluation parameters were evaluated before and 1 hour after the application, and the acute effect was examined. Both the dominant and nondominant hands of the patients were taped and the differences between the two hands were also examined.; Sham application was applied to both dominant and nondominant hands in Control Group patients. Sham taping is the bonding of I tape to the 1st finger without tension and does not contain any features. Evaluation parameters were evaluated before and 1 hour after the application, and the acute effect was examined. Both the dominant and nondominant hands of the patients were taped and the differences between the two hands were also examined.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double (Participant, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Rheumatoid Arthritis; Kinesiotape; Grip Strength; Hand function; Hand deformity