The Short-term Effect of Cervical Taping on Neck Pain, Disability and Kinematics in Patients With Chronic Neck Pain: A Non-randomised Clinical Trial
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Completed
- Sponsor
- University of Haifa
- Enrollment
- 27
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Cervical range of motion was measured by the neck VR system (ROM, degrees)
Study Overview
Brief Summary
Objective: This study examined the effects of elastic tape applied to the neck on patients experiencing chronic neck pain.
Background: Neck pain is often persistent or recurrent. Various treatments have been described, including exercises and manual therapy. Taping is commonly used clinically in the management of neck pain, however research in this field is sparse.
Methods: Elastic tape was applied over the posterior cervical extensor muscles from insertion to origin on patients experiencing chronic neck pain. Patients were assessed pre-taping, immediately post-taping, and one week post-taping and did not receive additional physiotherapy during the study.
Subjective measures included the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain intensity, the Neck Disability Index (NDI) to determine the level of disability in daily living, and the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK) to assess fear of movement or re-injury. Objective outcome measures included cervical range of motion, velocity, smoothness, and accuracy of cervical motion. These kinematic measures were collected using a customised virtual reality system designed to evaluate neck motion disorders.
Detailed Description
Neck pain is a common disorder, affecting 30-50% of the general population annually, comprising approximately 25% of the patients receiving physiotherapy in outpatient clinics. Symptoms include pain and stiffness in the neck, headache, dizziness, and pain radiating to the shoulders or upper limbs. Physical impairments associated with neck pain can include decreased cervical range of motion (ROM), increased fatigability, compromised strength and endurance of the cervical muscles, and impaired sensorimotor control.
A variety of Physiotherapeutic interventions have been described for the treatment of neck pain. Taping is a passive technique, widely used for the treatment of sport injuries, muscle imbalance, and impaired neural control. Clinically, taping is used for neck pain in spite of lack of research regarding its effectiveness. In addition, the mechanism by which elastic tape application affects tissue and function is yet unknown, but various effects have been described such as the ability to increase ROM, facilitate muscles and proprioception, and decrease pain.
A literature search retrieved only 3 relevant studies examining the use and efficacy of elastic tape on the cervical spine. Gonzalez-Iglesias et al. (2009) conducted a randomized trial in whiplash patients, Karatas et al. (2012) studied the effect of taping in surgeons with cervical pain after performing surgery, and Saavedra-Hernandez et al (2012)- in patients with mechanical neck pain.
All three studies demonstrated short-term effectiveness of elastic taping on pain relief and cervical ROM. However, all samples were small, of mostly young participants, and effect size was not described. Reported changes were small implying that further research is needed.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the short-term effect of cervical elastic taping on pain intensity, disability and neck kinematics in patients with chronic neck pain.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Na
- Intervention Model
- Single Group
- Primary Purpose
- Treatment
- Masking
- None
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 18 Years to — (Adult, Older Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria
- •Chronic neck pain (>3 months), with or without referral to the upper limb;
- •Age of 18 years or more;
- •Pain intensity ≥ 30% on Visual Analogue Scale (VAS).
Exclusion Criteria
- •Subjects were excluded if they had physiotherapy in the previous 2 months, known skin allergy to the tape, evidence for active vestibular disorders, medical conditions that may affect performance such as Rheumatic Arthritis, Diabetes Mellitus, neurological disorders, head injuries, lower limb pathologies, local or systemic infections, inability to communicate and provide informed consent, unstable fracture/dislocation, post-orthopaedic surgery in the upper body or spine, and pregnancy.
Arms & Interventions
cervical taping
Participants received treatment including elastic taping application to the neck. They were assessed 3 times: Pre taping, 20 minutes post-taping on day 1, and 7 days post-taping.
Intervention: Cervical Taping (Other)
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Cervical range of motion was measured by the neck VR system (ROM, degrees)
Time Frame: One week
Cervical range of motion was measured to four directions- flexion, extension, right and left rotation, during the VR assessment.
Self-reported pain intensity was measured by theVisual Analogue Scale (VAS, 0-100mm)
Time Frame: One week
The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used to measure neck pain intensity (0- 100mm).
Secondary Outcomes
- Cervical motion accuracy was measured by the VR system (Accuracy, degrees).(one week)
- Self-reported disability was measured using the Neck Disability Index (NDI, 0-100%)(One week)
- Fear of movement was assessed using the TAMPA Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK, 0-68)(One week)
Investigators
Hilla Sarig Bahat
Dr
University of Haifa