Kinesiotaping Combined With Therapeutic Exercise in Upper Extremity Spasticity and Function in Subacute Stroke Patients

Poststroke spasticity (PSS) is one of the common complications in stroke patients who had a brain injury leading to limbs weakness and impaired coordination between agonist and antagonist contraction. PSS leads some physical impairments and functional deficits. The clinical managements for PSS are stretching and range of motion (ROM) exercises, antispasticity splint, neuromuscular electrical stimulation, oral medications, local injection with phenol or botulism, or surgery. Recently, some investigators tried to use Kinesiotaping (KT) for spasticity management or postural control. They found some benefits in walking ability and upper extremity function facilitation after stroke. 40 subacute stroke patients with hemiplegia would be enrolled in this study. These 40 patients will be randomly divided into the experimental and control groups. In experimental group (n=20), the patients will perform combined KT and 15- min stretching exercise for upper extremity twice daily and regular rehabilitation program for 3 weeks. In the control group (n=20), the patients will perform 15- min stretching exercise for upper extremity twice daily and regular rehabilitation program for 3 weeks. Before intervention, immediately and 2 week post intervention, all patients will receive associated physical examinations, hand function evaluations, and sonography.