The Effect of Kinesio Tape and Exercise on Maximum Key Pinch Endurance on Assembly Workers

Background: Work-related musculoskeletal pain is generally caused by poor physical conditions and repetitive movement. The aim of this research is to investigate the effect of 8 weeks of kinesio tape and exercise on maximum key pinch endurance and pain reduction regarding the assembly workers. Method: This clinical trial study was conducted on 40 female workers employed in the assembly part of an electrical company. The subjects were categorized into three groups: exercise-taping, exercise and control, and performing an 8-week rehabilitation plan twice a week. To assess the upper limb disability and key pinch endurance before and after the intervention, authors used DASH questionnaire and pinch gauge, respectively. Data were evaluated with SPSS 20 and one-way ANOVA, Chi-Square and paired t-test tests. In this study, pinch gauge was used to measure pinch strength. Studies show that pinch gauge has high calibration accuracy and precision.  Results: The results of this study demonstrated a decrease in upper limb disability in the two groups of exercise and taping-exercise compared to the control group. Chi-square test indicated a statistically significant difference between the history of hand pain in the three groups. Moreover, paired t-test showed that the two hand's key pinch endurance was significantly increased in the two intervention groups compared to the control group. Conclusion: Using a kinesio tape can be effective in reducing pain and physical damage in hands. Therefore, at least 2 or 3 exercise sessions can be done per week during working hours.