Systematic Review: Effects of Using Kinesio Tape on Treatment of Lateral Epicondylitis

Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of Kinesio taping on severity of pain, the power for taking hand, functional activity and we undertook a literature review to produce evidence-based recommendation for the use of Kinesio tape in patients with lateral epicondylitis. Methods: A literature search was done in google scholar, pubmed, science direct, proquest, medline, advanced google and pedro database. The following keywords were used: Kinesio tape, elastic tape, Taping technique، Pain, Grip strength, Lateral epicondylitis, and tennis elbow. The inclusion criteria were English and Persian articles which were published from 2000 to 2013 and articles which were case report were excluded. Results: 26 articles including randomized clinical trial, cohort study, case-control study and trial which included healthy population, patients, male and female at any age range were extracted. 11 articles had the inclusion criteria. Conclusion: Although Taping technique seems to an impressive effect on wrist extension، grip strength، function and pain in individuals with lateral epicondylitis, strong evidence to identify the underlying mechanisms is still not available.