Spinal Cord Unit, Clinical Movement Analysis and Research Laboratory, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation Rome, Italy.
Front Hum Neurosci. 2014 May 30;8:367. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00367. eCollection 2014.
Leg paralysis, spasticity, reduced interlimb coordination, and impaired balance are the chief limitations to overground ambulation in subjects with incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI). In recent years, the application of KinesioTaping (KT) has been proposed to enhance sensory inputs, decreasing spasticity by proprioception feedback and relieving abnormal muscle tension. Because no studies have examined KT-based techniques in SCI subjects, our goal was to analyze the effects of ankle joint KT on spasticity, balance, and gait.
A randomized crossover case control design was used to compare the effects of KT and conventional nonelastic silk tape (ST) in 11 chronic SCI subjects, AIS level D, with soleus/gastrocnemius (S/G) muscle spasticity and balance and gait impairments.
48 h of treatment with KT or ST was followed by 48 h with the other technique after 1 week. A single Y-strip of Cure(©) tape (KT) and ST was to the S and G muscles with 0% stretch. Before and 48 h after of application of KT and ST, clinical data on the range of motion (ROM), spasticity, clonus, pain, balance, and gait were collected. Stabilometric platform assessment of center of pressure (COP) movements; bidimensional gait analysis; and recording of electromyographic (EMG) activity of the S, G, and tibialis anterior and extensor hallucis lungus muscles were also performed.
Only KT had significant effects on spasticity (p < 0.05), clonus (p < 0.001) and COP movements (p < 0.05), kinematic gait parameters (p < 0.001), and EMG activity (p < 0.001). Comparison between ST and KT improvements pointed out significant differences as concerns ROM (p < 0.001), spasticity (p < 0.001), clonus (p < 0.001), pain (p < 0.001), COP parameters (p < 0.05), and most kinematic gait data (p < 0.05).
Short-term application of KT reduces spasticity and pain and improves balance and gait in chronic SCI subjects. Although these data are promising, they require confirmation in a larger cohort of patients.
下肢瘫痪、痉挛、肢体协调性降低和平衡能力受损是不完全性脊髓损伤（SCI）患者在地面上行走的主要限制因素。近年来，人们提出应用肌内效贴（KinesioTaping，KT）来增强感觉输入，通过本体感觉反馈降低痉挛程度，并缓解异常肌肉张力。由于尚无研究探讨 KT 技术在 SCI 患者中的应用，因此我们的目标是分析踝关节 KT 对痉挛、平衡和步态的影响。
采用随机交叉病例对照设计，比较 KT 和传统非弹性丝质胶带（ST）在 11 例 AIS 分级为 D 的慢性 SCI 患者中的疗效，这些患者的比目鱼肌/腓肠肌（S/G）存在痉挛，且平衡和步态受损。
先接受 48 小时 KT 或 ST 治疗，1 周后再接受 48 小时另一种技术治疗。用 1 个 Cure(©) Y 形胶带（KT）和 1 个 ST 条对 S 和 G 肌肉施加 0%的拉伸。在应用 KT 和 ST 之前和之后的 48 小时，收集运动范围（ROM）、痉挛、阵挛、疼痛、平衡和步态的临床数据。采用平衡台评估中心压力（COP）运动；二维步态分析；记录 S、G、胫骨前肌和伸趾长肌的肌电图（EMG）活动。
只有 KT 对痉挛（p < 0.05）、阵挛（p < 0.001）和 COP 运动（p < 0.05）、运动学步态参数（p < 0.001）和 EMG 活动（p < 0.001）有显著影响。ST 和 KT 改善效果的比较表明，ROM（p < 0.001）、痉挛（p < 0.001）、阵挛（p < 0.001）、疼痛（p < 0.001）、COP 参数（p < 0.05）和大多数运动学步态数据（p < 0.05）均有显著差异。
短期应用 KT 可降低慢性 SCI 患者的痉挛程度和疼痛，并改善平衡和步态。尽管这些数据很有前景，但还需要在更大的患者队列中进行验证。
