Effects of Kinesio Taping in Patients With Somatosensory Tinnitus

Hitit University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Tinnitus, Subjective

Treatments: Other: Shame tape; Other: Kinesio tape

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03782220

2018-12

Details and patient eligibility

About

There is no specific treatment that can cure somatosensory tinnitus and usually conservative physical therapy modalities are used in the literature. The aim of the study is to investigate the effect of kinesio taping applied to sternocleidomastoid, upper trapezium and levator scapulae muscles on the somatosensory tinnitus associated with neck complaints.

Full description

The study was designed as a prospective, randomized controlled and double blind trial.

Patients complaining of tinnitus were firstly subjected to otologic and audiologic evaluation by an otolaryngologist. Tinnitus characteristics, such as severity (Tinnitus handicap Index, tinnitus Visual Analog Scale- tinnitus VAS) , type (pulsatile/non-pulsatile), localization (unilateral/ bilateral) and the frequency (number of days with symptoms) were recorded. Patients were excluded if they had objective tinnitus, subjective tinnitus with hearing loss or Meniere's disease, vertigo, middle ear pathologies, intracranial pathologies, whiplash injury, previous cervical spinal surgery, pregnancy, infection, malignancy and if they received cervical physical rehabilitation program in the past 3 months.

Patients who diagnosed with somatosensory tinnitus and concomitant neck complaints (cervical-VAS score >2) at least 6 weeks were referred to physical medicine and rehabilitation outpatient clinic. Before the treatment, participants' demographics data including age, gender, Body-Mass Index (BMI) and cervical pain VAS score were recorded and physical examinations (cervical joint range of motion (cervical-ROM), cervical manual muscle testing (cervical-MMT) and myofascial trigger points for sternocleidomastoid, upper trapezium and levator scapulae muscles) were performed by one investigator.

Banding application performed for both groups once a week for four weeks. Tinnitus handicap index score, tinnitus VAS, ROM of the cervical joint, cervical MMT, cervical pain VAS, Neck Disability index score and myofascial trigger points of sternocleidomastoid, upper trapezium, levator scapula was evaluated in all subjects by the same investigator.

Enrollment: 37 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 65 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Subject has somatosensory tinnitus
• Subject has concomitant neck complaints (cervical-VAS score >2) at least 6 weeks
• Subject were referred to physical medicine and rehabilitation outpatient clinic

Exclusion criteria

• History of objective tinnitus
• History of subjective tinnitus with hearing loss
• History of Meniere's disease
• History of vertigo
• Hiistory of middle ear pathologies
• History of intracranial pathologies
• History of whiplash injury
• History of previous cervical spinal surgery
• History of infection or malignancy
• Pregnancy
• History of having received cervical physical rehabilitation program in the past 3 months

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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37 participants in 2 patient groups, including a placebo group

Kinesio taping group

Experimental group

Description:

Kinesio taping group * Application of kinesio taping to sternocleidomastoid, upper trapezium, levator scapulae muscles. * Once a week , for 4 weeks

Treatment:

Other: Kinesio tape

Shame taping group

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

Shame taping group * Application of kinesio band to same muscles except for the defined method which is considered to be ineffective. * Once a week , for 4 weeks

Treatment:

Other: Shame tape