Kinesio Taping in spinal cord injury rehabilitation: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND

Kinesio Taping (KT) is commonly used in musculoskeletal disorders and rehabilitation practice, but its role in spinal cord injury (SCI) has received little scientific attention.

OBJECTIVE

This scoping review aimed to map the existing literature on KT use in persons with SCI, describing how it has been applied, which outcomes were assessed, and the study designs employed.

METHODS

Eight databases were examined: MEDLINE/PubMed, Cochrane CENTRAL, Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, PEDro, LILACS, CINAHL, and SPORTDiscus, covering January 2000 to October 2025. We included human studies involving participants with SCI of any level or chronicity. Eligible studies used KT as an intervention and reported at least one clinical or functional outcome.

RESULTS

Four studies met the inclusion criteria, including three randomized controlled designs and one observational add-on study. Across these studies, Kinesio Taping was applied alongside conventional rehabilitation and was associated with short-term changes in spasticity, postural control, hand function, or pressure injury outcomes; however, findings were heterogeneous and based on small samples.

CONCLUSIONS

Evidence on KT use in SCI remains limited. These preliminary findings require confirmation through larger well-controlled studies.