Kinesiotape for Dysphagia

Children with cerebral palsy commonly experience Dysphagia, also known as difficulty in swallowing. This can be accompanied by other issues like drooling, chewing difficulty, and gagging. There are a variety of techniques, modifications, exercises, maneuvers and stimulations that may be used to treat dysphasia. However, there is no consensus on the preferred treatment. In recent years, kinesiotape application has been suggested as a potential treatment for dysphagia, with some evidence on the reduction in drooling. However, there is limited research in this area.

A recent study investigated the effects of kinesiotaping on dysphagia in children with CP. The researchers randomly assigned children aged 2-6 to either the kinesiotape group (tape applied with technique under the chin and down the neck) or the sham group (placebo tape application). What were the findings?

Drooling, weak tongue movement, chewing difficulty, coughing/choking, and gagging/vomiting (during/after feeding), functional oral intake score, and meal time significantly improved at 6 weeks in the kinesiotape group compared to the placebo group. These improvements were still present at 18 weeks. According to the study, kinesiotape application in combination with conventional rehabilitation methods may be an effective and safe treatment option for dysphagia.

The study says that more research with long-term follow-up and large sample size is needed to confirm the results of this study, and to clinically implement kinesiotape as a treatment for dysphagia. Parents who are looking for more treatment options for their child can talk to the child’s health care provider about the potential use of kinesiotape.