Kinesio tape is a safe, easy-to-use, pain-free, well-tolerated, and cost-effective therapy than Extracorporeal shock wave therapy for people with calcaneal spur.

To investigate the efficacy of Kinesio taping versus Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) in people with calcaneal spur (a common cause of heel pain).

This randomized controlled, prospective and single-centre clinical trial included 93 patients with calcaneal spur (18 were males and 75 were females). They were stratified into two groups (as per body mass index, age, gender, and duration of pain):

• Kinesio tape group: 46 patients; Kinesio taping used once a week for a total of 3 weeks
• ESWT group: 47 patients; 3 sittings of shock wave therapy with a gap of 1 week

To assess function and pain, Foot Function Index (FFI) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores were logged at baseline and after a week.

A notable reduction in VAS scores, FFI-related scales (pain, disability and activity restriction) was found before and after the therapy (p=0.0001). Kinesio taping was more effective compared to shock wave in lowering pain and activity restricting scores of FFI in the short term.

Even though both therapies in this study lessened pain, disability and activity, improvement in pain and disability was more pronounced in people who used Kinesio taping compared to ESWT. Further analyses with longer follow-ups are required for clarity of the outcomes.