The Efficacy of Kinesiotaping on Pain, Edema and Functionality After Total Knee Arthroplasty

In this prospective, randomized controlled trial; To evaluate the effect of kinesiology taping applied for edema on pain, edema and functions in the early period after total knee replacement.Patients who underwent total knee replacement will be included in the 10-day follow-up study.Patients will be divided into three groups by randomization. A conservative postoperative physiotherapy program, which is routinely applied to all groups, will be applied. Thus, no patient will be left without treatment. The first group will be considered as the control group, which will be given only a conservative physiotherapy program.

In addition to the conservative postoperative physiotherapy program, the 2nd group will be taped without applying tension with a plaster and will be considered as the sham group.

In the third group, in addition to the conservative postoperative physiotherapy program, kinesiotaping for payment will be applied.

Patients will be divided into three groups by randomization. A conservative postoperative physiotherapy program, which is routinely applied to all groups, will be applied. Thus, no patient will be left without treatment. The first group will be considered as the control group, which will be given only a conservative physiotherapy program.

In addition to the conservative postoperative physiotherapy program, the 2nd group will be taped without applying tension with a plaster and will be considered as the sham group.

In the third group, in addition to the conservative postoperative physiotherapy program, kinesiotaping for payment will be applied.

It is planned to prevent bias between the groups by giving standard analgesic treatment to all three groups in the postoperative period. In the postoperative period, Paracetamol 10 mg/ml Infusion 3\*1, 100 mg tramadol hydrochloride tablet 2\*1 and celecoxib capsule 100 mg 2\*1 will be routinely administered until the discharge period.

Conservative postoperative physiotherapy program:

Conservative exercise program will be started on the second day after the surgery. All patients will receive an exercise program combined with a 20-minute local cold application once a day. Ankle pumping exercises, deep breathing exercises, isometric knee and hip circumference strengthening exercises, sitting by the bed, timed walking with a tolerable load on the prosthetic side will be recommended.

The number and frequency of exercises were gradually increased; isotonic knee and hip circumference strengthening exercises It will be added. After the drainage of the surgical wound is removed on the 2nd or 3rd day, the patients will be discharged on the 4th postoperative day. All patients will be informed about the conditions and activities that need attention. Patients who continue their home exercise program after discharge will be called for control on the 10th day.

Kinesio taping: In addition to its use in regional pain syndromes in recent years, KT application has also been reported in the literature after various non-orthopedic surgical procedures . Today, after KT application, which is widely used in orthopedics, especially in arthroscopic interventions, no negative effects have been observed on patients, and positive results have been reported, especially in the early period. The investigators aimed to compare this treatment method, which has been shown to be effective in studies performed after total knee arthroplasty, with SHAM taping and conservative postoperative physiotherapy program control group in a prospective randomized comparison.

Kinesiotaping is applied to the sub-knee region in accordance with the lymphatic correction technique in order to reduce edema and pain from the first postoperative day in the group receiving KT treatment.Accordingly, the proximal part of the tape will be placed close to the lymph node.In our study, as stated in the literature, the proximal part of the tape will be adhered to the fibular head area next to the lymph nodes without applying any stretching.Then 5-10% stretching is applied and the distal part is adhered.

The strips are applied as 2 separate bands crossing each other (from the medial and lateral of the knee).The patients will be taped with kinesio tape on the first day and the third day postoperatively, and they will be discharged on the fourth day.

After discharge, participant will be asked to remove the bands after 3 days as instructed.

SHAM taping: Sham application will be taped with a plaster from the same area on the same days as the kinesio application. No tension will be applied while taping. The difference of the plaster from the kinesiotape is that it does not contain tension and does not allow stretching.

Kinesiotaping application; It will be done by a physical therapist who has a kinesiology taping course certificate.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

1. Performing total knee joint arthroplasty due to stage 4 gonarthrosis
2. Agree to participate in the study
3. Having signed the informed consent form

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Presence of malignancy, infection, rheumatological disease
2. Having a tape allergy
3. Having a diagnosis of lymphedema