Safety and tolerability of kinesiotaping as add-on treatment of pressure injuries.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and tolerability of kinesiotaping (KT) as an adjunctive treatment of medium-to-severe sacral or heel pressure injuries (PIs) in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI), and to explore the effects of tape application in promoting the healing process.

METHOD: This pilot study was conducted in a tertiary specialised rehabilitation hospital in Italy. Patients with SCI within three months of an acute traumatic or non-traumatic event; any neurological level; complete or incomplete lesion; stage 3 or 4, sacral and/or heel PI for ≥1 month were included in the study. We used the Bates-Jensen Wound Assessment Tool (BWAT) to assess PI characteristics. PIs were treated with standard of care (SoC) for 12 weeks and KT was added after four weeks of SoC treatment for a four-week period, after which treatment reverted to SoC treatment.

RESULTS

A total of 20 patients (mean age 54 years, 75% male) with a total of 24 PIs were enrolled between September 2017 and March 2020. The PIs included: 12 sacral; 12 heel, nine stage 3; and 15 stage 4. Mean baseline BWAT score was 37.5±6.7. No adverse effects were recorded. BWAT score declined significantly (p<0.01) over 12 weeks, on average 5.3 points at four weeks, 8.9 points at eight weeks and 3.7 points at 12 weeks.

CONCLUSION

This pilot study provides preliminary evidence of the safety and tolerability of KT. Studies have claimed that the restoration of microcirculation positively affects the healing of PIs. The findings of this study appear to demonstrate that the KT technique exploits this principle, stimulating both lymphatic and venous microcirculation. Further studies are needed to test the efficacy and effectiveness of KT on PIs versus SoC.