Pilot study: Investigating the effects of Kinesio Taping® on functional activities in children with cerebral palsy

Objective: To investigate the immediate effects of Kinesio Taping (R) (KT) on sit-to-stand (STS) movement, balance and dynamic postural control in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Methods: Four children diagnosed with left hemiplegic CP level I by the Gross Motor Function Classification System were evaluated under conditions without taping as control condition (CC); and with KT as kinesio condition. A motion analysis system was used to measure total duration of STS movement and angular movements of each joint. Clinical instruments such as Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS) and Timed up and Go (TUG) were also applied. Results: Compared to CC, decreased total duration of STS, lower peak ankle flexion, higher knee extension at the end of STS, and decreased total time in TUG; but no differences were obtained on PBS score in KT. Conclusion: Neuromuscular taping seems to be beneficial on dynamic activities, but not have the same performance in predominantly static activities studied.