Effect of postural kinesio taping in thoracal kyphosis treatment

Aim: The aim of our study was to investigate the contribution of postural kinesio tape to the reduction of the kyphosis angle in abnormally measured thoracic kyphotic adolescents. Material and Method: This study was performed on patients who were diagnosed with kyphosis. Subjects were between 10 and 18 years old. Those with any systemic disease and scoliosis were not included in the study. Children who are involved in any sport are not included in the study. The thoracic kyphosis angles of the subjects were measured according to the Cobb method before and after the study. Subjects were divided into two groups, the taping and the control group. In the power analysis, it was required to have at least 20 subjects from each group, with an average of 9° decrease in kyphosis patients with Cobb angle above 50° when α = 0,05 1-β (power): 0,80. We've chosen this way in 50 patients will be randomized to each group of 25 participants to be appropriate. In the first group, kinesio tape was applied to the dorsal region of the patients. In addition, regular exercises were given every day. Kinesio tape was refreshed every week for 6 weeks. In the control group, nothing was done except for the exercise program given to the taping group. In this way, kyphosis angles were measured by the Cobb method before and after the study of the follow-up patients. The thoracic kyphosis values measured at the end of the study were compared. Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the kyphosis degrees in the control group before and after the study, while there was a statistically significant difference between the measurements made at the kyphosis degrees in the taping group before and after the study. A statistically significant difference was observed when the male and female participants of the taping group compared the thoracic kyphosis values of the control group with those of the control group. Conclusion: When both groups were compared after the study, a significant decrease in the thoracal kyphosis values of the taping group was observed. Key words: Kinesio taping, kyphosis treatment, postural taping, thoracal kyphosis.