Abstract
Objectives
To investigate the immediate and 1-month effects of functional taping to lumbar spine for pain intensity and postural control in patients with chronic non-specific low back pain.
Design
Randomised clinical trial.
Participants
One hundred and twenty participants aged 18 to 50 years.
Interventions
Participants will be allocated at random to receive one of three interventions: functional star-shape taping for 7 days, sham functional taping for 7 days or minimal intervention, one session.
Main outcome measures
The primary outcomes will be pain intensity and postural control. Four measurements of static posturography will be conducted: pre-intervention, immediately after application of the tape, 7 days post-intervention (after removal of the tape) and 1-month follow-up. The secondary outcomes will be low-back-pain-related disability, global perceived effect of treatment and fear avoidance beliefs. Primary and secondary outcomes will be assessed on three occasions: pre-intervention, 7 days post-intervention and at 1-month follow-up. All statistical analyses will be conducted following intention-to-treat principles, and the treatment effects will be calculated using linear mixed models.
Discussion
The results of this study will determine the effects of functional taping on pain intensity and postural control compared with sham taping and minimal intervention.