| Effectiveness of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy versus Kinesio Taping in Treating Musculoskeletal Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis |
| Paper ID : 1092-ISCSR3 (R1) |
| Authors |
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Mariam Hesham Sallam *1, Marwa Shafiek Mustafa saleh2, Haidy Samy Abdelmohsen3, Hadel Hesham Elkhodary1, Mariam Ismail Hassan1, Mazen Mohamed Sayed1, Esraa Mohamed Mosaid1, Mariam Jalal Abdelrahman1, Eman Mohamed Abdelwahab1, Abdelrahman Fouad Elshafey1, Abeer Gomaa Mohamed1, Yasmin Ahmed Baioumy1, Farah Tarek Hamuda1, Bashayer Awad AlHarthy4, Ahmed Ibrahim Abdelhamed1 1College of physical therapy, Misr University for Science and Technology, Giza, Egypt 2Assistant professor at basic science department, Faculty of physical therapy, Cairo University, Egypt. / Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Al‐Zaytoonah University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan. 3Faculty of Physical Therapy, Modern University for Technology and Information, Cairo, Egypt. 4Physical Therapy Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University |
| Abstract |
| Background: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSKDs) affect a significant portion of the population, with substantial economic costs. Non-invasive treatments like Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT) and Kinesio Taping (KT) show potential in alleviating pain and improving function, but there is no conclusive evidence favoring one over the other Objectives: This systematic review aimed to compare the effectiveness of ESWT versus KT in treating various MSKDs. Design of the study: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Methods: We conducted a comprehensive search across multiple databases, including PubMed, Cochrane CENTRAL, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, and PEDro, until January 2025, screening titles, abstracts, and full texts for studies reporting on pain, functionality, strength, or quality of life. Risk of bias was assessed with the RoB 2.0 tool, and meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.4.1, with evidence quality evaluated by the GRADE approach. Results: Fifteen RCTs involving 907 patients were included. In the short term, there were no statistically significant differences in pain reduction (SMD: 0.12; 95% CI: -0.17 to 0.41; p = 0.41), functionality (SMD: 0.04; 95% CI: -0.43 to 0.51; p = 0.86), strength (MD: 0.68; 95% CI: -7.46 to 8.81; p = 0.87), or quality of life. However, medium-term results favored ESWT for pain reduction (MD: -1.15; 95% CI: -1.52 to -0.78; p < 0.00001) and improved functionality (SMD: -0.89; 95% CI: -1.35 to -0.42; p = 0.0002). The GRADE certainty rating for all outcomes was very low due to risks of bias, impression, and indirectness. Conclusion: While both ESWT and KT show some promise for treating MSKDs, the certainty of the evidence is very low. ESWT demonstrated medium-term benefits in pain reduction and function, highlighting the need for high-quality RCTs with larger samples. |
| Keywords |
| Keywords: soft tissue disorders, shockwave therapy, Kinesio taping, pain management, functional recovery. |
| Status: Abstract Accepted |