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MA Healthcare, International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation, 5(22), p. 238-245, 2015

DOI: 10.12968/ijtr.2015.22.5.238

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Knowledge of and willingness to recommend kinesiotape for upper limb overuse injuries: A comparison of therapists’, GPS’ and surgeons’ perspectives

Journal article published in 2015 by Raewyn L. Taylor, Ted Brown, Lisa O'Brien ORCID
This paper is available in a repository.
This paper is available in a repository.

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Abstract

Background/Aims: Upper limb overuse injuries, such as tennis elbow, may be challenging in terms of both diagnosis and management, and there is no consensus on a gold standard intervention. Despite limited evidence in the literature to support the efficacy of kinesiotaping, this new treatment modality has gained popularity among athletes and the general public and is commonly used to treat these conditions. Clinicians are therefore relying on lower levels of evidence and/or expert opinion when deciding whether to use this treatment and it is likely that there are varying perspectives on its potential clinical benefits. The purpose of this study was to compare the opinions of hand therapists, general practitioners (GPs) and hand surgeons on the use of kinesiotape for upper limb overuse injuries. Methods: This cross-sectional study used a self-report survey to gather data from respondents (n=157). Survey questions aimed to identify practice patterns and gain an understanding of clinicians' reasons for either recommending or not recommending this modality. Results: Hand therapists rated their understanding of the use of kinesiotape (Mean±SD = 6.51±1.89) significantly higher than levels reported by GPs (Mean±SD = 3.04± 2.50) and surgeons (Mean±SD = 4.16± 2.52). Hand therapists reported a moderate level of success with the use of kinesiotape (Mean±SD = 6.30±1.59), which was significantly higher than that reported by surgeons (Mean±SD = 4.84±1.21); however, there was no notable difference between hand therapists and GPs (Mean±SD = 5.27± 2.10). Of the three groups, GPs were most likely (69.5%) to indicate that they would not use or recommend kinesiotape, compared with 31% of hand therapists and 38.7% of hand surgeons. Conclusions: Hand therapists are more likely to rate kinesiotaping as successful and recommend its clinical use, indicating that they place greater emphasis on their own clinical experience than research evidence. It is inferred that GPs and surgeons have a higher level of scepticism for interventions without supporting evidence, such as kinesiotaping. More evidence from randomised controlled trials is required to inform practitioners on the potential benefits of this intervention.