Effectiveness of Kinesio Taping Compared to Other Interventions in Children and Adolescents with Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Kinesio taping (KT) is used to treat people with scoliosis. However, there is limited evidence to to clarify its mechanism and effectiveness in treating idiopathic scoliosis in children and adolescents. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of KT for idiopathic scoliosis in children and adolescents. Methods: The search was conducted in the following databases from inception to November 2022: Scopus, Cochrane Library, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Web of Science, and PubMed. The methodological quality of the included RCTs was assessed for subjects diagnosed with idiopathic scoliosis in children and adolescents. Primary outcomes included pain intensity, Cobb angle, and back muscle endurance. Meta-analysis was conducted to pool the results using standardised mean difference (SMD). Results: Four RCTs (160 participants) were included. The effect of KT with exercises group had better improvement on Cobb angle than other exercise only (SMD = -0.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.89° to -0.09°; p = 0.02; I2 = 25%); but there was no difference between groups on back muscle endurance (SMD = 0.63, 95% CI -0.50 to 1.39 seconds; p = 0.36; I2 = 65%). Data on pain outcomes were insufficient for meta-analysis due to heterogeneity in reporting methods However, two studies showed that KT combined with exercises effectively minimised pain for patients with scoliosis. Conclusion: This systematic review and meta-analysis suggest that adding KT to other interventions improves the Cobb angle and may reduce pain in patients with idiopathic scoliosis. However, due to the limited number of included studies and participants, further high-quality RCTs are needed to confirm these findings.