Kinesio Taping for Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction in Spinal Cord Injury
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Kinesio Taping, Routine Bowel Management Program.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction, Spinal Cord Injury. Basic parameters: from 18 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Turkey (Türkiye)
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Official title
Effectiveness of Kinesio Taping on Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction in Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Overview
Neurogenic bowel dysfunction is a common complication of spinal cord injury and may cause constipation, difficulty with defecation, prolonged bowel care, incomplete evacuation, fecal incontinence, and reduced quality of life. This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Kinesio Taping added to a routine bowel management program in adults with spinal cord injury and upper motor neuron-type neurogenic bowel dysfunction. Thirty participants will be randomly assigned to one of two parallel groups. The control group will receive a routine bowel management program, while the intervention group will receive Kinesio Taping in addition to the routine bowel management program. Kinesio Taping will be applied to the lower abdominal and lumbosacral regions three times per week for 4 weeks. The primary outcome will be defecation frequency recorded using a 7-day bowel diary. Secondary outcomes will include stool consistency, defecation duration, perceived constipation severity, neurogenic bowel dysfunction severity, and health-related quality of life. Assessments will be performed before and after the 4-week intervention.
Interventions
- Other Kinesio Taping
Kinesio Taping will be applied to the lower abdominal and lumbosacral regions three times per week for 4 weeks. The tape will remain in place for 2 days and will be removed before the next treatment session. A star-shaped correction technique will be applied to the lumbosacral region with 25%-50% tension. An I-shaped correction technique will be applied to the lower abdominal region between the right and left anterior superior iliac spines. No tension will be applied to the ends of the tape. - Behavioral Routine Bowel Management Program
Participants will receive an individualized routine bowel management program based on their clinical condition for 4 weeks. The program may include scheduled bowel care, dietary and fluid recommendations, appropriate positioning, physical activity, abdominal massage, rectal evacuation techniques, suppositories, enemas, and oral or rectal laxatives when clinically indicated. Participants will be instructed not to change their usual dietary habits during the study period.
Primary outcome measures
- Change in Defecation Frequency [Time frame: Baseline and at the end of the 4-week intervention]
Secondary outcome measures (8)
- Change in Bristol Stool Form Scale Score [Time frame: Baseline and at the end of the 4-week intervention]
- Change in Perceived Constipation Severity [Time frame: Baseline and at the end of the 4-week intervention]
- Change in Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction Score [Time frame: Baseline and at the end of the 4-week intervention]
- Change in Short Form-36 Health Survey Scores [Time frame: Baseline and at the end of the 4-week intervention]
- Change in Defecation Duration [Time frame: Baseline and at the end of the 4-week intervention]
- Change in the Feeling of Complete Evacuation [Time frame: Baseline and at the end of the 4-week intervention]
- Change in Straining During Defecation [Time frame: Baseline and at the end of the 4-week intervention]
- Change in Painful Defecation [Time frame: Baseline and at the end of the 4-week intervention]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Adults aged 18 years or older with traumatic or nontraumatic spinal cord injury
- Neurological level of injury at T12 or above
- Upper motor neuron-type neurogenic bowel dysfunction
- Duration of spinal cord injury longer than 6 months
- Ability and willingness to provide written informed consent
Exclusion criteria
- Age younger than 18 years
- Neurological level of injury below T12
- Gastrointestinal disease diagnosed before the spinal cord injury, including irritable bowel syndrome or inflammatory bowel disease
- History of conservative treatment for neurogenic bowel dysfunction within the previous 6 months
- Colostomy or history of bowel surgery
- Neurological disease other than spinal cord injury that may cause gastrointestinal or anal sphincter dysfunction
- Cognitive impairment that may interfere with participation in the study
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Single blind
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
Study locations
Turkey (Türkiye) · 1 center
- Pamukkale University Hospital — Denizli
Publications
- Dandinoglu T, Kaya E. Kinesio Taping in spinal cord injury rehabilitation: A scoping review. J Spinal Cord Med. 2026 Feb 12:1-9. doi: 10.1080/10790268.2026.2626116. Online ahead of print. PMID 41677377
- Karaaslan Y, Karakus A, Koc DO, Bayrakli A, Celenay ST. Effectiveness of Abdominal Massage Versus Kinesio Taping in Women With Chronic Constipation: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2024 Oct 30;30(4):501-511. doi: 10.5056/jnm23131. Epub 2024 Jun 3. PMID 38826075
- Orhan C, Kaya Kara O, Kaya S, Akbayrak T, Kerem Gunel M, Baltaci G. The effects of connective tissue manipulation and Kinesio Taping on chronic constipation in children with cerebral palsy: a randomized controlled trial. Disabil Rehabil. 2018 Jan;40(1):10-20. doi: 10.1080/09638288.2016.1236412. Epub 2016 Oct 28. PMID 27793072
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07705984 · E-60116787-020-887485