Is Kinesio taping effective for peripheral tissue perfusion in women with mild to moderate chronic venous insufficiency? A randomized controlled trial

Objective To evaluate the acute effect of Kinesio Taping® on peripheral tissue perfusion in women with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). Methods This randomized, double-blind controlled trial included 59 women with mild to moderate CVI. They were randomized to a control group ( n = 23; 54.08 ± 9.04 years) and Kinesio Taping® group (KT) ( n = 36; 55.87 ± 9.97 years). Near-infrared spectroscopy was positioned in the medial gastrocnemius muscle for assessment of resting tissue perfusion 48 h after the first day of evaluation and after placement of the Kinesio Taping® tape. The evaluation also consisted of performing movements of the plethysmography examination. To verify the comparisons of pre- and post-Kinesio Taping® data, the variation delta was used for analysis. Mann–Whitney U test was performed an an alpha of 5% was considered statistically significant. Results There wasn’ st a significant difference between groups regarding the peripheral tissue perfusion evaluation variables Peripheral Oxygen Saturation Difference – DELTA\_SPO2: (KT Group 3.21 (0.84–3.62); Control 2.21 (1.59–4.83), p = 0.219) and Difference in deoxygenate hemoglobin values – DELTA\_HHB (units) KT Group -0.62 (−2.14–0.67); Control Group -0.07 (−2.15–2.62) p = 0.238). Despite the lack of statistical significance, the KT group had a 785.7% greater drop in HHB values than the control group. Conclusions Acute use of Kinesio Taping® in women with CVI did not significantly alter tissue perfusion of calf muscles. However, it was possible to observe percentage differences in venous retention to be considered from a clinical point of view. Trial registration Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (REBEC) RBR-9bhbrp. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Clinical Trial RBR-9bhbrp - http://www.ensaiosclinicos.gov.br/rg/RBR-9bhbrp/ ### Funding Statement FAPEMIG (grants: Programa Pesquisador Mineiro PPM-00369-18 and CDS - APQ-02820-12); CNPq (grant 307597/2011-3) and PROEX/CAPES (grant 23038.002321/ 2020-79). ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: Approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Minas Gerais I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines and uploaded the relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material as supplementary files, if applicable. Yes All relevant data are within the manuscript and its Supporting Information files.