Efficacy of Kinesio Taping and Splinting in Ankle Sprain
Condition: Ankle Sprains
MeSH terms: Sprains and Strains; Ankle Injuries
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Question:Does kinesiotaping(KT) reduce oedema, pain, disability and increase range of joint
      motion on patients with acute ankle ligament injuries? Design:Two-group, randomised,
      controlled trial with blinded assessors. Participants:This study included 240 patients with
      acute ankle sprain.The patients were randomised using randomisation software and divided into
      two groups each comprising 120 patients.

      Intervention:Tape and splint were kept on the patients for 5 days. Outcome measures:The
      following parameters were evaluated before and after treatment: circumference measurement for
      severity of oedema(metatarsophalangeal joint,ankle circumference,5cm above the ankle,10cm
      above the ankle),visual analog scale(VAS) pain score,range of motion(ROM) for the ankle with
      goniometer and disability level via the Foot Function Index (FFI).
    

Detailed description: 
      This study included 240 patients with acute ankle sprain admitted to the Emergency Department
      of Bağcılar Training and Research Hospital. Before initiating the study, approval of the
      Bağcılar Training and Research Hospital Clinical Investigations Ethics Committee was obtained
      with a decree number of 2018.05.1.02.045 dated 11/05/2018. The patients were randomised using
      randomisation software and divided into two groups each comprising 120 patients. Kinesio
      taping (KT) was applied to the patients in the first group, and splinting was applied to the
      patients in the second group. Tape and splint were kept on the patients for 5 days. Study
      inclusion criteria were age older than 18 years, presence of ankle sprain without osseous
      pathology and injury having occurred within the last 72 h. Exclusion criteria were the
      presence of fracture, open wound, motor or sensory deficits associated with injury, systemic
      oedema in the lower extremities related to the heart or kidney, venous diseases and past
      surgery.

      The following parameters were evaluated before and after treatment: circumference measurement
      for severity of oedema (metatarsophalangeal joint, ankle circumference, 5 cm above the ankle,
      10 cm above the ankle), VAS pain score, flexion, extension, inversion and eversion range of
      motion for the ankle with goniometer and disability level via the Foot Function Index (FFI).

      The FFI is a widely used, self-administered instrument developed to measure the effects of
      foot pathologies on pain, disability and activity restriction. Turkish validity and
      reliability studies of FFI have been previously conducted. The FFI consists of 23 items
      assessed for three subscales: pain, disability and activity restriction. The pain subscale,
      which includes nine items, measures the level of foot pain in various situations, whereas the
      disability subscale, which includes nine items, identifies the degree of difficulty in
      performing various functional activities due to foot problems. The activity restriction
      subscale, which includes five items, is used to assess activity restriction due to foot
      problems. Patients score all items using a VAS, taking into account their foot condition 1
      week earlier. To calculate subscale and total scale scores, the score of each item is summed,
      divided by the sum of the maximum scores of the items and multiplied by 100. Higher scores
      indicate more pain, disability and activity restriction. If the patient is unable to perform
      activities, such as walking barefoot or using an orthosis, this item may be marked as not
      valid and removed from the total if possible.

      Intervention KT application: 50-mm wide and 0.5-mm thick KT was applied to the
      tendinomuscular meridian around the ankle with three I-shaped tapes. Initially, one I-shaped
      tape was applied along the course of the tibialis anterior muscle, and another I-shaped tape
      was then applied to the peroneus longus and brevis muscles. The third I-shaped tape was
      applied from the abductor digiti minimi muscle and wrapped around the ankle in a
      figure-of-eight shape to the abductor hallucis muscle, surrounding the ankle over the medial
      and lateral malleoli. The tape was applied to the skin by applying zero tension, and skin
      problems were avoided.

      In patients in the splint group, 16-18 layers of cotton gauze (15-cm cast gauze) were applied
      from the tip of the toes to the beginning of the fibula. Following the gauze application,
      short leg splint application was performed in a neutral ankle position.
    

Intervention name(s): Kinesio taping
Intervention type(s): Other
Intervention description(s): In patients in the splint group, 16-18 layers of cotton gauze (15-cm cast gauze) were applied from the tip of the toes to the beginning of the fibula. Following the gauze application, short leg splint application was performed in a neutral ankle position.
Other intervention name(s): Splinting
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: The patients were randomised using randomisation software and divided into two groups each comprising 120 patients. Tape and splint were kept on the patients for 5 days.
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Ankle Sprains; Kinesio Tape; Splint