Effects of thoracic kinesiological taping on pulmonary functions, respiratory muscle strength, and functional independence in patients with hemiplegia: a randomized controlled clinical trial

Objective: To investigate the effects of thoracic kinesiology taping (KT) on pulmonary function, respiratory muscle strength, and functional independence in individuals with chronic post-stroke hemiplegia. Methods: 30 patients were randomly assigned to a thoracic KT or sham taping group. Both groups received conventional rehabilitation 5 days/week for 4 weeks. The KT group received thoracic taping with 50–75% tension, whereas the sham group received an identical application without tension. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and post-intervention, and included forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), peak expiratory flow (PEF), maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP), maximal expiratory pressure (MEP), and Functional Independence Measure (FIM). Results: Both groups showed significant within-group improvements in FVC, FEV1, PEF, and MIP (all p = 0.001), with greater changes in the KT group. FIM improved significantly only in the KT group (p = 0.015). MEP did not change in the KT group (p = 0.674) but showed a small increase in the sham group (p = 0.010). Between-group comparisons demonstrated significant advantages in favor of KT for FVC (p < 0.001), FEV1 (p < 0.001), PEF (p < 0.001), and MIP (p < 0.001) and FIM (p = 0.029), while a small but significant advantage in MEP was observed in favor of the sham group (p = 0.030). Conclusion: Thoracic KT, when combined with conventional rehabilitation, significantly improves pulmonary function and inspiratory muscle strength in individuals with chronic stroke. Its effects appear to be primarily related to optimization of ventilatory mechanics rather than direct muscle strengthening. Thoracic KT may serve as a practical adjunct in respiratory neurorehabilitation.