Applications of Taping: Lymphatic to Pediatric

Case Study Full Name: Applications of Taping Lymphatic to Pediatric

By: Kenzo Kase, DC

Summary: In 2006, a pilot study was conducted at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. The purpose was to describe the use of elastic therapeutic taping for the upper extremity in enhancing functional motor skills in children admitted into an acute rehabilitation program. Fifteen children (10 females and five males; 4 to 16 years of age) receiving rehabilitation services at the institute participated in this study. For 13 of the inpatients, this was the initial rehabilitation following an acquired disability, which included encephalitis, brain tumor, cerebral vascular accident, traumatic brain injury, and spinal cord injury. The Melbourne Assessment of Unilateral Upper Limb Function (Melbourne Assessment) was used to measure upper-limb functional change prior to use of elastic therapeutic tape. Immediately after application of the tape and three days after wearing tape, upper-limb function was compared using analysis of variance. The research found that "the improvement from pre- to post-taping was statistically significant, F(1, 14) = 18.9; p< .02." The Chicago team concluded: "These results suggest that [elastic therapeutic tape] may be associated with improvement in upper extremity control and function in the acute pediatric rehabilitation setting. The use of [tape] as an adjunct to treatment may assist with the goal-focused occupational therapy treatment during the child's inpatient stay."