Effects of Gastronomies Kinesio Taping on Postural Control and Spasticity in Patients with Chronic Stroke

Stroke is a neurovascular lesion in the brain. Paralysis of one half of the body is the most important symptom of stroke. Impaired postural control is built by complex interactions of sensory, cognitive and motor disorders. All of these factors can predispose patients to reduce function. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of Kinesio taping on dynamic balance and spasticity in patients with chronic stroke. In this single-blind randomized controlled trial (RCT) study, 22 patients with stroke, 11 with right-sided and 11 with left-sided hemiplegia, were enrolled. The subjects’ age ranged from 30 to 56 years (mean = 58.7 years). Both groups received Kinesio taping intervention (KT). Kinesio Tex Tape was applied directly to the skin of gastrocnemius muscles and was kept for 1 hour. Timed up and go test (TUG) was used to assess dynamic postural control and Modified Modified Ashworth Scale (MMAS) to evaluate the degree of spasticity of plantar flexor muscles. There was a statistically significant reduction in spasticity and TUG scores in the pre-taped, taped and retest condition. In repeated measures analysis of variances, there was statistically significant difference between the two groups just for TUG scores, not for spasticity. The results suggest that the use of gastrocnemius taping may be useful in immediately stabilising body posture and reducing spasticity. In addition, the results showed that patients with left-sided hemiplegia have relevant balance disorders and taping improve dynamic postural control in these patients more.