Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34123530›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of sports physical therapy2021

Kinesiology Tape: A Descriptive Survey of Healthcare Professionals in the United States.

Scott W Cheatham, Russell T Baker, Thomas E Abdenour

Registry-linked trialOpen access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of sports physical therapy, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04678115 (A Randomized Cross-Over Clinical Trial Comparing Two Non-Surgical Treatments for Severe Blepharoptosis), which is not on this map. Cited by 12 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed
5.4field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT04678115 nacompletednot on this map

A Randomized Cross-Over Clinical Trial Comparing Two Non-Surgical Treatments for Severe Blepharoptosis

TypeinterventionalSponsorMassachusetts Eye and Ear InfirmaryRan2021 to 2024Enrolled16ConditionsBlepharoptosis, Ptosis, Eyelid, Myasthenia Gravis, StrokeArmsMagnetic Levator Prosthesis (MLP), Kinesiotape Frontalis Sling (KTFS)
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

12 citing papers in PubMed, 30 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Trial
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Does kinesio taping affect balance in individuals with multiple sclerosis?Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2025
    Observational
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Article
  12. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Scott W CheathamCalifornia State University Dominguez Hills.
Russell T BakerUniversity of Idaho.
Thomas E AbdenourAbdenour Consulting.
California State University, Dominguez Hills · USUniversity of Idaho · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe existing body of kinesiology tape (KT) research reveals inconsistent results which challenges the efficacy of the intervention. Understanding professional beliefs and KT clinical application might provide insight for future research and development of evidence-based guidelines. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to survey and document the beliefs and clinical application methods of KT among healthcare professionals in the United States.

designCross-sectional survey study.

methodsA 30-question online survey was emailed to members of the National Athletic Trainers Association, Academy of Orthopedic Physical Therapy, and American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy. Professionals were also informed through a recruitment post in different private healthcare Facebook groups.

resultsOne thousand and eighty-three respondents completed the survey. Most respondents used KT for post-injury treatment (74%), pain modulation (67%), and neuro-sensory feedback (60%). Most believed that KT stimulates skin mechanoreceptors (77%), improve local circulation (69%), and modulates pain (60%). Some respondents believed KT only created a placebo effect (40%) and use it for such therapeutic purposes (58%). Most used a standard uncut roll (67%) in black (71%) or beige (66%). Most respondents did not use any specialty pre-cut tape (83%), infused tape (99.54%), or a topical analgesic with tape (65%). The most common tape tension lengths used by respondents were 50% tension (47%) and 25% (25%) tension. Patient reported outcomes (80%) were the most common clinical measures. Most respondents provided skin prep (64%) and tape removal (77%) instructions. Some did not provide any skin prep (36%) or tape removal (23%) instruction. The average recommended times to wear KT were two to three days (60%). The maximum times ranged from two to five days (81%).

conclusionThis survey provides insight into how professionals use KT and highlights the gap between research and practice. Future research should address these gaps to better determine evidence-based guidelines. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.

Indexed as

muscle sorenessperceived painrecovery

Identifiers

PMID34123530
PMCPMC8169012
OpenAlexW3167485399

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-SA
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.