Abstract

Objective: To determine the optimal dose and short-term effectiveness of kinesiotaping (KT) on pain intensity and disability in pregnant women with lumbo-pelvic pain. Data sources: MEDLINE (via PubMed Central), CINAHL, Epistemonikos, Scopus, and Web of Science from inception to 21st March 2023. Study selection: We included randomized controlled trials (RCT) conducted on pregnant women with lumbo-pelvic pain treated with KT. Data extraction: The outcomes included pain intensity and disability. ROB-2 and GRADE were used to assess the risk of bias and the certainty of the evidence, respectively. A random effects meta-analysis was performed using the standardized mean difference (SMD) and the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI). The dose-response association was evaluated using a restricted cubic spline model. Data synthesis: Seven RCTs involving 527 patients were included. Meta-analysis revealed a statistically significant effect in favor of KT on pain intensity (SMD = ?1.71; 95% CI = ?2.51 to ?0.90; P = <0.001) and on disability (SMD = ?1.15; 95% CI = ?2.29 to ?0.02; P = <0.001). The total duration of KT use ranged from 5 to 35 days. It was estimated that a dose of 5–10 days exceeded the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) for pain intensity (mean difference at 10 days = ?2.63; 95% CI = ?3.05 to ?2.22). Low certainty of evidence was identified for both outcomes. Conclusions: In pregnant women with lumbo-pelvic pain, the use of KT for 5 to 10 days produces a short-term reduction in pain intensity that exceeds the MCID, with a low certainty of evidence. Systematic Review Registration Number: Systematic Review Registration Number PROSPERO CRD42023388174. Contribution of Paper: • The meta-analysis showed that KT reduces pain intensity and improves disability in women with lumbo-pelvic pain. • A duration of 5 to 10 days of KT is sufficient to exceed the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) for pain intensity. • Studies of high methodological quality with longer follow-up are needed. © 2024 Chartered Society of Physiotherapy