The Effects of Manual Lymphatic Drainage and Kinesiotaping on Lower Extremity Edema

Hacettepe University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Edema; Exercise; Total Knee Arthroplasty

Treatments: Other: Control; Other: Manual Lymphatic Drainage; Other: Kinesio Taping

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04164927

GO15-152

Details and patient eligibility

About

Significant trauma and muscular tightness often result during Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) surgery and thus act to restrict tissue fluid movement resulting with lower extremity edema. Kinesio Taping® is applied directly on the skin for restoration of normal fluid perfusion, removing congestion of lymphatic fluid or hemorrhages. In addition Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) enhances blood circulation and stimulates the lymphatic movement and unblocks lymphatic territories. The aim of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of Kinesio Taping® and MLD in reducing postoperative edema and pain in the early stage after TKA.

Full description

Procedures: Patients who underwent unilateral TKA were randomized as Kinesio Taping® group, MLD group and control group. For all patients, postoperative rehabilitation program included early mobilization and physical therapy twice a day during the stay in orthopedic traumatology department. On the second day after surgery, lymphatic correction method was used on the Kinesio Taping® group patients and a standardized 30-minute MLD treatment was applied to the MLD group patients. Control group received only physiotherapy treatment. Circumference measurements were applied on preoperatively and the second, third, fourth day and 6th weeks after surgery. Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) was used to determine the functional outcomes on the 6th weeks after surgery. Repeated measures of variance analysis was used to determine time differences between groups.

Enrollment: 40 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 45 to 90 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• TKA surgery

Exclusion criteria

• active infection
• malignant tumor
• major cardiac pathology, or thrombus or venous obstruction that was pre-diagnosed or revealed on a routine preadmission hospital screening

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

---

40 participants in 3 patient groups

Kinesio Taping

Active Comparator group

Description:

Lymphatic correction method is applied via Kinesiotaping depending on the size of the leg two or three fan-cut tape was applied with light paper-off tension on the frontal, medial and lateral aspects of the limb. Certified Kinesio Tape practitioner applied Kinesiotaping on the second day (day 2) post-surgery and once a week.

Treatment:

Other: Control

Other: Manual Lymphatic Drainage

Manual Lymphatic Drainage

Active Comparator group

Description:

A standardized 30-minute manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) treatment is applied to MLD group. On the second day (day 2) post-surgery, patients allocated to the MLD group underwent a standardized 30 minute MLD treatment on the operated limb by an experienced remedial massage therapist trained in delivering MLD.

Treatment:

Other: Control

Other: Kinesio Taping

Control

No Intervention group

Description:

Standard postoperative rehabilitation program is applied to Control Group. Knee-based exercises were undertaken in supine (active- assisted knee flexion using a bandage, inner range quadriceps contractions, and straight-leg raises), seated (active-assisted knee flexion using the contralateral limb and inner range quadriceps contractions), and standing (hip and knee flexion, active hamstring curls, lunges on a step, hamstring stretches) postures.