From injury to rehabilitation: How kinesiology taping helps patients with first metatarsophalangeal joint sprain (turf toe) in pain reduction, gait parameters and functional ability improvement. A randomized clinical trial

Alshimaa R Azab; Ragab K Elnaggar; Sobhy M Aly; Nourah Basalem; Aiyshah M Alamri; Ayman K Saleh; Mohamed N Ibrahim; Maged A Basha; Walid Kamal Abdelbasset

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e29746

From injury to rehabilitation: How kinesiology taping helps patients with first metatarsophalangeal joint sprain (turf toe) in pain reduction, gait parameters and functional ability improvement. A randomized clinical trial

Heliyon. 2024 Apr 16;10(8):e29746. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e29746. eCollection 2024 Apr 30.

Authors

Alshimaa R Azab^{1

2}, Ragab K Elnaggar^{1

2}, Sobhy M Aly^{3

4}, Nourah Basalem¹, Aiyshah M Alamri¹, Ayman K Saleh^{5

6}, Mohamed N Ibrahim⁶, Maged A Basha^{7

8}, Walid Kamal Abdelbasset⁹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia.
² Department of Physical Therapy for Pediatrics, Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.
³ Department of Biomechanics, Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.
⁴ Department of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Najran University, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine for Girls, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
⁷ Department of Physical Therapy College of Applied Medical Sciences Qassim University. Buraydah 51452. P.O. Box 6666. Saudi Arabia.
⁸ Department of Physical Therapy, ElSahel Teaching Hospital, General Organization for Teaching Hospitals and Institutes, Cairo, Egypt.
⁹ Department of Physiotherapy, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.

Abstract

Objective: Turf toe is a common sports injury that may affect mobility and functional ability. For complete recovery, rehabilitation modalities are required to overcome these issues. This study investigated whether kinesio taping (KT) would reduce pain, improve gait performance, and enhance the functional capacity of turf toe patients undergoing physical therapy.

Methods: sixty patients with grade II turf toe (age; 25-30 years) assigned randomly into three treatment groups; KT applied alongside an exercise program conducted three times/week for 12 successive weeks. (KT group; n = 20), placebo taping plus exercise (Placebo group; n = 20), or exercise only (Control group; n = 20). Pain, gait parameters, and functional ability assessed using VAS, 3D gait analysis, and 6MWT respectively pre- and post-treatment.

Results: There was a significant post-treatment decrease in VAS score in the KT group lower than the control or placebo group and a significant increase in 6MWT distance in the KT group higher than the control or placebo group (p < 0.001). Additionally, there was a significant post-treatment increase in step length, stride length, cadence and velocity of KT group higher than control and placebo group (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in gait parameters between control and placebo groups post treatment (p > 0.05).

Conclusions: The findings of the study demonstrated that KT is a useful complementary modality to exercise in patients with turf toe, as it may result in more favorable improvements to pain, gait characteristics, and functional abilities. Further studies should be conducted to assess the long-term effects, different KT application methods, and tailored treatment protocols on turf toe.

Keywords: Foot trauma; Functional ability; Gait; KT; Sports injury; Turf toe.