Effect of Kinesiology Taping on Upper Torso Mobility and Shoulder Pain and Disability in US Masters National Championship Swimmers: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to observe changes in shoulder pain and upper-extremity functional movement after kinesiology taping (KT) in competitive swimmers. METHODS: Seventy-six healthy participants competing in the US Masters Swimming 2017 National Championship participated in the study. Participants performed functional movement of shoulder flexion along with Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand index assessments for the shoulder before and 30 minutes after application of KT. RESULTS: A change in the functional movement assessment was observed after KT application when compared to the pre-KT application (33.56 ± 1.39 cm vs 35.35 ± 1.52 cm, P < .001). A statistical significant change for pain and disability scores of 2.17 was observed (12.29 ± 1.22 vs 10.12 ± 1.16, P < .01). CONCLUSION: For the participants in this study, KT changed shoulder pain and active functional movement scores significantly in swimmers.