Enhancing plantar sensation via bilateral plantar Kinesio taping improves gait ability in patients with subacute stroke: A randomized controlled trial.

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the effects of bilateral plantar kinesio taping (BP-KT) combined with conventional therapy (CT) on plantar tactile sensation (PTS) and gait ability in patients with subacute stroke by comparing BP-KT with tibialis anterior kinesio taping (TA-KT). A single-center, participant-blinded, randomized controlled trial SETTING: Rehabilitation center PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-two subacute stroke survivors were randomly assigned to one of two groups. All participants performed 30 minutes of CT, and each group additionally received either BP-KT or TA-KT. Both interventions were performed 5 times a week for a 4-week period. The primary outcome was PTS. The secondary outcomes included spatiotemporal gait parameters (step length, stance phase, swing phase, step width, cadence, and velocity) and the variability of these parameters. The BP-KT group showed statistically significant improvements in PTS at the first metatarsal head (p=0.003, η²=0.159), fifth metatarsal head (p=0.025, η²=0.096), and lateral longitudinal area (p=0.015, η²=0.114). Statistically significant improvements were observed in the BP-KT group compared with those in the TA-KT group in step length (p=0.005, η²=0.679), single stance (p=0.037, η²=0.084), and velocity (p=0.018, η²=0.180). There was a statistically significant decrease in the coefficient of variation for step length (p=0.042, η²=0.080) and step width (p=0.018, η²=0.107). BP-KT combined with CT effectively enhanced PTS and gait ability in patients with subacute stroke, and it proved to be more effective than TA-KT combined with CT. These findings suggest that BP-KT may be a useful adjunctive method for gait rehabilitation in patients with stroke.