Effect of Inhibitory Kinesio-tape of the Upper Trapezius on Lower Trapezius Muscle Excitation

Scapular Dyskinesis Clinical Trial

Official title:

Effect of Inhibitory Kinesio-tape of the Upper Trapezius on Lower Trapezius Muscle Excitation

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT04711447
• Other study ID #: HS22668 (E2019:019)
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: January 1, 2020
• Est. completion date: July 1, 2020

Study information

• Verified date: January 2021
• Source: University of Manitoba
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

Shoulder pain increases excitation (or activity) of the upper trapezius (UT) and reduces excitation in lower trapezius (LT). Despite inconclusive evidence, kinesio-tape (KT) is often used to modify muscular excitation within the UT and/or LT to help correct alterations in scapular position and motion associated with shoulder pain/injury. The objectives of the current study were to determine if: 1) inhibitory KT to the UT acutely increases muscle excitation (whole-muscle and spatial distribution) within the LT in healthy individuals; and 2) if loading the limb alters the magnitude of change in muscle excitation of the LT. We hypothesize that: 1) inhibitory KT application to the UT will immediately increase whole-muscle LT excitation, and result in an inferior shift in the distribution of excitation within the LT compared to no tape and sham-KT tape conditions; and 2) the magnitude of immediate increase in LT excitation with KT would be greater in the loaded condition. A repeated-measures, crossover design was used to determine the impact of KT applied to UT and load on muscle excitation of the LT. Participants were asked to perform a repeated arm elevation task during three different taping conditions: no KT, experimental KT and sham KT. Each taping condition performed the repeated arm elevation task during two loading conditions: no load and loaded with 2.3 kilograms. All six conditions were tested during one visit with the no load condition preceding the loaded condition for each taping condition. A baseline trial (no KT; N-KT) was performed first, followed by both an experimental-KT (E-KT) and sham-KT (S-KT) condition. The order of the E-KT and S-KT conditions were randomized and the order was counterbalanced. Testing for each tape condition lasted approximately 10-minutes for a total of 45-minutes per participant including screening, EMG set-up and clean-up. KT was applied to the UT and muscle excitation (EMG amplitude) was measured in the LT using one single 32-grid high-density surface electromyography (HD-sEMG) electrode during a repeated arm elevation task.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 21
• Est. completion date: July 1, 2020
• Est. primary completion date: July 1, 2020
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years to 60 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• right-handed individuals

• no current shoulder pain or pathology in the shoulder, neck, back.

Exclusion Criteria:

• recent history (<6 months) of injury or orthopedic disorder of the shoulder, upper back or neck (e.g. rotator cuff tears, disc pathologies, etc.)

• neurological or musculoskeletal disorder (e.g. epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, etc.)

• current pain in the shoulder, upper back or neck

• previous allergies or skin irritation to adhesives.

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Dyskinesias
• Scapular Dyskinesis

Intervention

Device:
• kinesio-tape
Twenty-one individuals with healthy shoulders completed 10 repetitions of an arm elevation task during three taping conditions (no-tape, experimental KT, sham KT) and 2 loading conditions (no-load and loaded).

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Canada	University of Manitoba	Winnipeg	Manitoba

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Trisha Scribbans

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Canada, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Whole-muscle activation	RMS measured using high-density EMG electrode grids	Measured during the arm elevation task
Secondary	Spatial distribution of muscle activation	shifts in excitation measured using high-density EMG electrode grids	Measured during the arm elevation task