Effects of Lower Limbs Kinesio Taping on Balance Ability in Children With Cerebral Palsy: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial

Objectives: Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a non-progressive brain damage that leads to movement and balance disorders. One of the new rehabilitation approaches for such children is Kinesio taping. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of lower limbs kinesio taping on static and dynamic balance in children with CP. Methods: In this pilot randomized clinical trial, 30 children with CP were randomly classified into two control and intervention groups each containing 15 subjects. In the intervention group, Kinesio tape was applied with 30% tension on anterior muscles of lower limbs. However, in the control group, Kinesio tape was used just in a sham mode. In both groups, Kinesio tape was used along with occupational therapy interventions for two weeks. Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and forward Functional Reach (FR) tests were used before, two days, and two weeks after intervention. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA was used to study the intervention effects, within-group data were analyzed with the paired t-test, and between-group effects were assessed using independent t-test. Results: Short term results (two days after intervention) indicated no significant difference between the scores of BBS (P=0.7) and FR (P=0.08) in the intervention group, and BBS (P= 0.8) and FR (P=0.1) in the control group. Long term results indicated a significant change in BBS (P<0.001) and FR (P<0.001) in the intervention group, however, no significant changes were observed in FR (P=0.1) and BBS (P=0.8) in the control groups.  Discussion: Application of Kinesio tape on lower limbs of children with CP improved their balance. Therefore, this method can be used in rehabilitation clinics for functional improvement of children with Cerebral Palsy.