Kinesio taping is a therapeutic tool, formed of an elastic cotton strip with an acrylic adhesive. It is useful in treating pain and disability caused due to athletic injuries and other physical disorders. ZhijunLu et al. elucidated that kinesio taping significantly improved VAS, WOMAC scale and range of motion of the knee.

This meta-analysis from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigated the efficacy of Kinesio Taping in reducing pain and improving knee function in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA).

PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Library were searched up to August 2018. The studies searched were rendered eligible if they met the criteria as: Population: Knee OA patients

Intervention: Intervention groups obtained Kinesio Taping for the treatment of knee OA

Comparisons: Control group received the sham taping

Study design: RCTs. The Outcomes were estimated as McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) scale, VAS, range of motion and muscle strength.

The Cochrane Collaboration's tool was used to examine the risk of bias. The authors investigated statistical heterogeneity for each RCT with the use of a standard Chi2 test and the I2 statistic. Meta-analysis was done via STATA statistical software 15.0.

Five RCTs involving a total of 308 patients were included in this study. There were significant differences between the Kinesio Taping groups and control groups regarding VAS, WOMAC scale and flexion range of motion. There was no significant difference concerning quadriceps femoris muscle between the groups.

Kinesio Taping found to be useful for improving pain and joint function in knee OA patients. Currently, there is a limited quality of the evidence, hence the results of this meta-analysis should be treated with caution.